* music above *

Herrick sat at the table, his eyes roaming idly about the place. It seemed to be nothing more than a casual glance here and there, but he was taking everything in. The pillow and neatly folded blanket on the couch. The cutlery on the drying rack, enough for two. The newspaper cuttings on one side of the wall, half of which were written by Kyra, half of which were written by her journalism idols. And of course, the Sceptre lying innocently on the table.

Kyra walked over with the coffee. 

"Why thank you Lady Kyra." Herrick took a sip of the dark beverage and blinked a few times. "Wow, you mortals do like your drinks to be sweet!"

"Oh did I put in too much sugar? Loki likes his sweet so.....here, have mine. It's black."

She pushed her cup forward. "So what brings you here today?"

Herrick sipped from his cup, then placed it back down on the table top with a light clink.

Looking Kyra dead in the eyes he said,

"I'm here to bring Loki home."

For a moment Kyra forgot how to breathe. She had watched the lips moved and heard the words, but they made no sense in her head, none at all, because -

"I - I thought he was supposed to be here for one month?"

"Well the King and Queen has been very pleased with his exemplary behavior so far. They are of the opinion that he has changed over a new leaf, and hence has decided to shorten his sentence. Isn't that great news?"

Here Herrick ventured a smile, but it came out more as a forced and pained grimace.

"But - now? Like now now?"

Herrick sipped more of his coffee. "It's rather up to Loki really. He's done his part here on Midgard. I can bring him home anytime he wants - unless of course, he wishes to stay here. " Herrick laughed. "Which I really doubt."

Something about his words and laugh irked Kyra. 

"What's so bad about staying here?" she said defensively. 

Herrick looked surprised that she would even be asking such a question. "Because it's Loki. He's a man that looks down on mortals. And even if he might have changed, some things don't go away that easily - they certainly don't just disappear in the span of ten days."

His eyes narrowed at her, sharp and sudden. "Lady Kyra, forgive me for asking such a personal question, but are you - perhaps - in love with him?"

Kyra blinked. The question caught her entirely off guard and she opened her mouth, to deny and say something, but no words came.

Herrick's eyes darted around the room, and his voice lowered to a hush. 

"I did not want to say this, because after all soon he will be leaving and there will be no point, but there are some things you must know."

From somewhere he pulled out a silver metal ball.

"You remember I told you that I disagreed with the King's and Queen's decision of sending him to Midgard for his exile? Do you know why Lady Kyra? Most importantly, do you know why he even needed to be sent to exile in the first place?"

She finally found her voice. "Because he did something wrong."

"Wrong doesn't even began to cover it. Do you know what exactly did he did?"

She racked her brain, trying to remember the movie. But that was some time ago, and again she hadn't been paying much attention.......

"This, Lady Kyra. He did this."

And Herrick squeezed the metal ball lightly. The leaves unfolded, projecting a holographic screen to the air, that showed - 

Death. Destruction.

Kyra watched as a huge metal robot, armour tipped with spikes, laid waste to the New Mexico desert. She watched as it flung innocent civilians across the length of several dozen metres, as if they were no more than rag dolls. She watched it kill and maim and decimate.

Most of all, she watched Loki, guiding its movements from Asgard. She heard the laugh, the laugh that was not just pure mischief as she had thought, but filled with unadulterated evil. She saw the maniacal glint in his eyes, the bloodlust pulsating through his veins. 

He was a monster.

"Stop," she said, her voice cracking, even as the horrified tears rolled down her cheeks.

But Herrick ignored her. The video switched, turning to Loki battling Thor at the bridge, spiting him, taunting him, threatening to go after Jane Foster. Mocking him for becoming soft, because he had fallen in love, and was now defending the mortals. 

A monster.

"Stop."

But Herrick didn't. Now Loki was meeting with the blue-skinned Laufey, revealing himself to be the traitor inside the House of Odin, that allowed the three Jotuns to enter and wreck havoc. He promised the Jotun King that he would conceal him and his soldiers, and let them into the royal chambers, where Laufey could slay Odin - the Asgard King. His stepfather.

"I said stop!" She stood up, her hand reaching out and slapping the ball away and off the table, to the floor. It rolled to a stop, its leaves closing, the screen blinking out.

She was trembling, shaking. And in her mind she replayed back the scene in the dungeon, where Loki had did one of his illusions, spitting out those malicious words. She'd told herself that he didn't mean them, that he had just been hurt by the memories of his past......but what if they were true? What if they were his true feelings?

Because that is what I intend to do. To rule your world, along with the other realms. To be made king of you insipid Earthlings! That is the fate of your race. That is the fate of you - Kyra Pierce.

Could a man change, in the span of ten days? To give up all his hatred for mortals, to give up his lust for power, to give up his love of destruction, to give up his very nature of evilness - in ten days?

Could a man do that?

Could Loki?

He was, after all, the God of Evil.

And soon, I will be the monster Midgard parents talk about as well. Do you know why? Because no matter how changed Odin might see me be, I am not. I will never be changed. 

I cannot be changed!

Herrick rose. "Now you see why I do not trust him. For all you know, he could be putting on an act. Deceiving the King and Queen, deceiving you. Believe when I say that this is not the first time."

"He - he's genuine. He's not - he's not lying......." Her words trailed off.

How sure was she about that? 100%? 50%?

Or - not at all?

"No matter. I plan to keep a careful eye on him when he returns to Asgard. If he lies, we will take the necessary precautions at once. 

"Either way - he is going home."

Herrick watched Kyra carefully. "You do know he cannot stay? Not because we order him to return, but because of what he feels as well?"

"What - what do you mean?"

"To him, Midgard will forever be inferior to Asgard. He might no longer see mortals as puny creatures deserved to be crushed under his feet - but of course he could be faking his change of heart, again we do not know - but you see, Loki is a man of magic. Magic is what completes him, and makes him whole. Already you know he is not a warrior like his brother. Magic is what gives him the edge, is what makes him different. Magic is special to him, because it is the one talent his brother does not possess. Hence, he treasures it greatly. It makes him feel as if he is not so - unworthy.

"So to be forever separated from magic will be impossible to him! Yet that is what he needs to do if he wishes to remain at Midgard. There is no place for magic here among mortals, and he knows it. So if he's confronted with the decision to choose between Midgard and Asgard, what do you think he will do?"

Kyra said nothing. 

Herrick gathered his things, preparing to leave. 

"I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra. Because when Loki leaves, that is all you will have left. So whatever dreams you want to fulfill, whatever materialistic desires you wish to acquire - do it now. 

"Because after this, all you will have left will be useless memories."

*

She sat numb, on the table. The clock struck 2, Herrick had left some time ago. 

I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra.   

Use wisely? She'd barely even begin to scratch the surface of her bucket list! And she'd only use one wish so far - and what had she done?

She had further ruined a little girl's life.

Kyra glanced over at the Sceptre standing in the corner. She could use it now, she could say a wish and turn Judy's life around......make it better......

There you go again, thinking of others. What about yourself? And are you sure your wish won't backfire again - like it did the last time?

The little voice was speaking, speaking, a sibilant whisper of self-doubt circulating in her head.

Why do you bother? There are so many other abused and helpless children in the world. Are you going to save them all? Use all your wishes - on them? What about you? The fame you have been tirelessly seeking for so long, the glory and the gold?

Loki gets to go back to his home, celebrated and rejoiced in a royal parade at his successful improvement of character. And what about you? Sitting alone in your apartment, your life no different from before he entered, still fame-less, still riches-less, still a struggling journalist trying to make ends meet. 

Only difference now is you have them - those useless memories, and the bitter taste of rejection on your tongue. 

Because does Loki even feel the slightest bit like the way you feel? Are you worth him leaving his home, his family, and his magic behind - just to have you? A mortal?

The little voice changed to Loki's.

Do you think a god will truly, willingly, associate himself with a lowly peasant girl that sits at the bottom of society's ladder?

She knew the answer to that.

Her eyes fell on her opened laptop. The one where, just a few days ago, she had transferred all her photos and videos of Loki and Asgard into. The one where she had been planning to write an article that would catapult her into her fame. The one where, this morning, she had changed her mind, and had been planning on pressing "delete".

She walked over to it, a sudden urgency in her movements, and started up the computer. She accessed the media files titled "Asgard", then pulled up a blank Microsoft Word document.

She paused. 

All you will have left will be useless memories.

Her fingers started to type.