Aura's hair flew behind her, tossed this way and that by the wind coming off the sea and the movement of her exceedingly beautiful steed. Her chalk blue cape, too, streamed out behind her, the same colour as the ocean when it caught the light and her eyes.

Only she, Loki and Thor wore capes, Odin also, and at times Frigga. It was a royal thing, and Aura often felt uncomfortable wearing it at official ceremonies, which was why she wore gowns sometimes despite her hatred of them.  She'd never been quite sure she was technically allowed, as she was only Odin's ward and not adopted by him or anything, but it had been decided by the Allfather and designed by Frigga, so she supposed it was alright.  All the same, she preferred not to wear it officially, even if she liked to wear it outside the castle so that she was never mistaken for just any warrior in blue.

  As they reached the Bifrost, they saw Heimdall waiting.  Aura swallowed.  She was good friends with Heimdall, in fact he was much like an uncle to her - but they had recently argued again about Loki.  And he wasn't one to take an unauthorized trip to Jötunheim lightly.  Still, Thor's presence might just get them the golden guardian god's approval.

  Loki slipped off his magnificent blue roan stallion.  "Leave this one to me," he whispered to Thor, for once the light of confidence shining in his green eyes, the one thing he was always missing.  But Aura felt a twinge of hesitation - yes, Loki could charm his way into just about anything with his slippery words, but this was Heimdall, who saw everything and detested Loki.  This is not a good idea.

  "Great Heimdall-" he began, but the Bifrost's guardian interrupted him.

  "You are not dressed warmly enough."

  A flicker of surprise flashed through Loki's gaze.  "I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you think you can deceive me?"

"You must be mistaken-"

"ENOUGH!" boomed Thor's voice, and Aura winced at the shadow that came over Loki's face. Her breath hitched with what she realised was fear and she shivered; not because of the cold or the fear, but for the fact that she was afraid. Of Loki. Her best friend, her confidante, her partner in crime, her... Her Loki.  "Heimdall," Thor continued, "may we pass?"

  Heimdall's solemn gaze passed between the two brothers, the slender and the strong, the sly and the brutal, the talker and the fighter.  "No enemy has slipped my watch until today," he conceded slowly after a long silence.  "I want to know how it happened."

  "Then you will tell no-one where we have gone until we have returned, understand?" Without waiting, Thor and his allies walked past Heimdall.

Volstagg couldn't help but snicker as he walked past the green-clad prince. "What happened? Silver tongue turned to lead?" Fandral joined in the laughter, before they walked past and the whole event slipped right from their minds.

That was what Aura hated most, she decided as she watched Loki glower and storm past with the air of a crackling thunder cloud. That they didn't even care. That they weren't gaining anything but Loki's pain. Her sudden desire to pull out her sword she managed to quench, but she gripped the hilt hard enough for her knuckles to go white.

As she passed Heimdall, she stopped. "Stop doing that."

"What?" Was his deep voice amused?

"Putting Loki down like that!" Her fierce words were in a whisper because she knew Loki would be mortified and the others would humiliate him if they heard her. "He's having a hard enough time with the others as it is, without you cutting in like that. Thor too - he's going to get this later," she added as an afterthought.

He certainly wasn't amused now. "That boy was about to lie his way into Jötunheim."

"The entire enterprise was Thor's idea and all of us seven would have stood by the lie he told." She glared. "You're not saying anything like that to me."

"He's a danger to everyone. Why can't you see how dark his heart is?"

"Why can't you see how he's holding that back?" She wanted to explode but she couldn't for the sake of Loki's thrice-damned pride. "As a child I was told that Heimdall the guardian could see everything. But that was a lie. He can only see what he expects to." She turned away.

"I am only trying to protect you all."

She ignored him and walked in to stand by Loki. He looked better, less... Shadowy. He was also looking slightly too thin and even paler than usual, the ivory pallor looking almost sickly in the bright light. He's not been eating right still. Damn you, Loki, why do I always need to watch out for you! But the anger was only there to shroud her anxiousness and she knew it. "You haven't been eating," she informed him.

He shrugged awkwardly. "Thor overturned the table."

"Not just at the ceremony, for a while. In fact, since about a day after I last told you. When we get back I am going to make you eat an entire banquet."

He smirked. "If you say so, mermaid."

She rolled her eyes, turning towards the centre and Heimdall. "For the last time, I do not have a fish's tail."

"I make that... 1974 last times." She couldn't see him but she could hear the smirk in his voice.

Aura kicked him in the leg. "Shut up, Loki. Heimdall's talking."

  "If your return threatens this realm, be warned I will not keep the gate open for you," Heimdall continued.  "You will be left to die in the cold wastes of Jötunheim."

They all went quiet. Aura glanced around uneasily, instinctively looking to Loki first - you can't die - and then Thor - should I really be here on your madman's quest? But Loki was going. He was not going into danger without her. Only Thor seemed unconcerned.

"Couldn't you just leave the bridge open?" suggested Volstagg.

Heimdall huffed slightly. "The full force of the Bifrost would destroy Jötunheim and everything in it."

  Loki made as if to say something to Aura but Thor spoke over him.  She was shocked to hear his voice smiling in anticipation. "I have no plans to die today."

  "None do." Without warning, Heimdall turned on the Bifrost and sent them through the bridge to Jötunheim.

*

The young gods glanced around at the strange world. The freezing cold pierced the Asgardian armour, and Aura shivered, as did many of the others, in fact all of them except Loki. He never really minded the cold. [Author's Note - if any of you comment with a Frozen quote I will seriously die.  And yes, I realise that this message will make about a million of you comment it.]

There was a painful silence before Sif spoke up. "Where are they?" Her voice echoed eerily through the desolate icy realm.

"Hiding," snorted Thor and Aura sighed in disbelief. Was he still not taking this seriously?

  A chilling voice spoke from the darkness.  "You have come a long way to die, Asgardians."

  "I am Thor Odinsson!" The red-caped prince raised Mjolnir in defiance.

  "We know who you are," hissed the voice with a contempt that stung Aura into anger. She looked up.

Laufey was perched above them. He was far bigger than Aura had expected, his blue skin looking almost sickly shrouded in darkness and his red eyes gazed down on the seven with pure malice.

  "How did your people get into Asgard?" Thor demanded.

  The ice king's piercing eyes travelled slowly over the group.  After a long pause, he said, "The house of Odin is full of traitors."

  "Do not dishonour my father's name with your lies!" Thor bellowed, shaking his hammer.

  The breath caught in Aura's throat.  A traitor?  Was it one of them?  She glanced uneasily at the rest of the group, unconsciously taking a step towards Loki.

"Your father is a murderer and a liar." Laufey stood, making his height even more intimidating; it felt as if they were shrinking beneath him. Aura's face contorted with anger and her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, while she summoned an orb of water in the other. How dare he give such names to the king who had taken her in, the father who had replaced Valr?  "Why do you come here looking for peace when you want battle? You crave it.  You are just a boy trying to prove himself a man."

  Aura glanced around uncertainly, the water in her hand still bubbling.  Frost Giants were appearing from every direction, advancing from Laufey's side and cutting off the Asgardians' escape.

  Thor seemed to growl out the words in his anger, yet Aura could hear the joy beneath them.  She was dismayed to hear that Laufey was partly right; he was longing for a fight and that had been fully his intention in coming.  "This boy grows tired of your mockery."

At his words, the Jötuns summoned their weapons. The ice blades seemed to grow from their forearms.

  Loki glanced at Aura, fear clear in his eyes - but not, she could see, for himself - before quickly stepping to his brother's side.  "Thor, stop and think for a moment.  We're outnumbered."

  Thor shifted, his rage deafening him to Loki's common sense.  "Know your place, brother."

Laufey looked down upon them. "You know not what your actions will unleash. I do. Go now, while I still allow it."

Aura was still full of anger but she wasn't so far gone she couldn't hear Loki and Laufey. We have every right to slay them all, but there's too many of them. Each and every one of us would be slaughtered before we could reach the Bifrost, and there's no telling if Heimdall would let us out and risk Jötuns coming with us.

  Loki seemed to struggle with indecision, before glancing at Aura and turning back to Laufey, his decision suddenly made.  "We will accept your most gracious offer."  He turned to Thor.  "Come on, brother."

  This would mean a great deal to Loki, the young sea goddess realised.  The fact that he could make a decision for Thor, and that his choice would avert a battle, would do him good; and besides, she felt a twinge of relief that... that he wouldn't be in a battle.  That he would be safe in Asgard before they knew it.

Thor fumed, but then turned back and the others began to walk away. Aura had only taken two steps before everything was ruined.

One of the Frost Giants had walked up before the princes, his steps loud and heavy on the ice. With a gravelly voice, he murmured, "Run home, little princess."

Aura cursed under her breath.

Loki stopped short. "Damn."

Sif and the Warriors Three halted, confused.

Thor smiled, turned and slammed Mjolnir into the Jötun.

So, there'll be the other half of this battle later but I really can't be bothered to do that right now and I wanted to publish this. It'll be up soon!

I'm sorry if the lines aren't exactly the same as the ones in the movie, but I don't actually own the movie, so I'm having to steal it off another Loki fic (not on Wattpad) and I'm not sure if they're exactly right.  But whatever, they should be at least similar to the film script.