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Loki woke Kenna shortly before dawn. He was to meet his brother and the rest of the soldiers at dawn at the bifrost. Kenna was sleeping soundly, curled up peacefully beneath the oversized blanket. Her hair was loose, fanned out around her, and covering half her face. Loki's hand itched to brush it aside and see if it was as soft as it looked. But he didn't want to scare her.

"Kenna," he said her name gently.

Kenna awoke slowly. It had been a long time since she had slept so soundly. She blinked away the last remnants of sleep to see Loki crouched beside her. Forgetting herself for a moment, a slow smile crept across her face as she met the prince's emerald green eyes. The shade was so pure, it reminded her of the forests she had grown up playing in that had once covered Alfheim.

He answered her smile, looking a little surprised and uncertain. Worry lined his face however and she forced herself to look beyond his face. He was wearing his full battle armor, his golden helm under one arm.

And then she remembered.

Kenna sat up so fast Loki had to pull back so they didn't smack their heads together. Today was the day.

"It's time," Loki confirmed, his voice tight with stress.

Kenna could tell the prince was nervous, she only hoped it wasn't because he doubted her. She climbed quickly to her feet. She shivered as her bare feet touched the marble floor.

"Are you ready?" Loki asked her. He was running short on time, but he had to be sure Kenna would be okay on her own. He had been up half the night making sure everything was prepared for her. 

Kenna nodded, swallowing thickly.

He nodded briskly then motioned to the desk behind him. "There are some things for you," he said. shifting his weight uncomfortably. When Kenna frowned in confusion he cleared his throat. "If I give you something conjured by my magic and something happens..." he pressed his lips together, but didn't finish his sentence. Instead he let it hang between them and gestured towards the neatly folded pile of items he had left for her. "It's better to have the real thing."

He moved his hand the smallest amount and the illusion concealing the amulet fell away to reveal the shining green and black stones resting against her chest. It made him feel strangely possessive to see it resting against her skin. "I must go," he told her turning towards the door. "I will see you soon," he promised.

"Loki," Kenna called suddenly stepping towards him. She peered up at him. He was almost a foot taller than her, but in his armor he seemed even more imposing. Her midnight eyes blinked as she watched him with an unreadable expression.

Loki allowed himself to reach out, touching the amulet with his magic. Testing it, he told himself. Checking to make sure their connection was still strong. She was nervous...concern, worry, apprehension, uncertainty...but no outright fear. He wasn't sure he would have been able to go through with this if she was afraid. When he met her gaze there was a storm of feelings surging through the connection. Warmth, trust, affection...Shock surged through him. He quickly pulled his magic back, leaving her to her private emotions as his thoughts raced.

It had never bothered him before, using his magic to gleam information about someone else, but she was such a private person and this was so different. The magical connection between them was so strong, it felt like a betrayal of the tenuous trust she had given him. Magic had taken everything from her, and yet somehow she trusted him. He took that responsibility very seriously.

"I shall see you soon," she said, offering him a brave smile.

"Indeed," he replied flashing her a confident smile he didn't feel. There were so many things that could go wrong between now and then. Hours where she would be alone surrounded by the enemy. But they both had their parts to play and he had to trust her to keep herself safe. He turned for the door. "Be safe Kenna," he allowed himself to say, when in reality he wanted to say so much more.

Kenna nodded. "And you my Prince."

Loki's heart started thundering in his chest but he forced himself to give her a curt nod. He pulled his helmet on as a way to buy himself time to ensure he had absolute control over his facial expression. 

When he looked back at her, the small elf had cocked her head to the side and was studying his armor. For some reason it made him feel like he wasn't wearing anything. It was like those ebony eyes could see straight through him.

She arched an impish brow, "and...try not to get yourself killed before I get there," she said with a sardonic twist of her lips.

He smirked back. "I'll do my best my lady," he teased, before turning and stalking out of the room.

Kenna let out a shuddering breath as the door clicked shut behind Loki his words echoing through her mind. As per their plan she had only moments to change and get out of the palace. Once Loki went through the bifrost she would be vulnerable Heimdall's sight. They didn't know how far Loki could get from her and still maintain the spell, but once he left the realm there was no chance of him being able to maintain it, even with the amulet connecting them.

Kenna walked over to the desk. She changed quickly into what Loki had left for her. There were black leather pants, soft soled knee high boots, and a one shouldered leather top. The leather wasn't exactly armor, but it provided more protection than normal clothing and yet allowed her to move silently to avoid detection. She wondered if he knew it was the style of the light elves. Knowing the prince he had done ample research and known precisely what he was doing when selecting it. The elves had adopted the style for stealth, and the open shoulder provided freedom of movement when using a bow.

There was no bow, which was for the best. It had been too long since she had used one. But he had left her two long Asgardian daggers. Given their length however they were more like short swords in her hands and she strapped them upside down in an X across her back.  She drew them a few times from under her arms until she got the feel of it, wishing she had taken more time to practice. Her father used to say it was better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. She had spent too many years gardening. 

There was also a simple golden dagger that she recognized as one of Loki's personal weapons. She closed her hand around it feeling like it was yet another connection to the prince. She didn't know why, but having it made her feel better. She strapped it to her waist and took up the final thing he had left her. It was the only color in the pile. It was a heavy cloak and cowl in a dark hunter green the precise shade of Loki's eyes. She smiled as she tied it off around her neck, pulled her hood up, and secured the cowl.

It was time.

The boat was waiting for her in the same place as last time, but she navigated the dark seas with more efficiency than Loki had just days before. It felt like so much had changed since the last time they made this journey. A storm was building out over the sea and the waves tossed angrily around her as she approached the cliff face. She was glad for the cloak, the crashing sea would have soaked her, and somehow the cloak seemed to shed water rather than soak it up and beneath it she remained warm and dry.

It took nearly an hour of piloting before she slowed the boat as she neared the cliff wall. She tied the boat off, slinging the rope around the small outcropping of rock. She leapt from the boat, landing nimbly on the slippery rocks. She approached the cliff face and reached up, her hands touching the sea soaked rocks. It was going to be a tough climb. One hundred feet straight up the vertical wall to the mouth of the cave.

She was a good climber, quick and capable, but her hands were frozen by the time she reached the top. She forced herself to continue moving through the cold caves, keeping Loki's cloak wrapped tightly around her to ward off the chill. The cloak smelled of spices and new fallen snow and it was strangely comforting.

The sun would just be rising in Asgard, but when she stepped out onto the plains of her homeland it was the middle of the day. She sucked in a breath. Somehow it seemed more desolate than the last time she was here, more lonely.

Tears burned her eyes as she took in the devastation the dark elves had wrought all those years ago. Still not a single plant grew. The ground was covered in thick ash and even the rocks themselves had the harsh, sharp edges left over from the volcanic upheaval that had killed so many of her people.

Coming here with Loki had been easier. He had distracted her from her dark thoughts and even darker memories. Unconsciously her fingers glided over the amulet around her neck. She was careful not to call to him, and it might have been her imagination, but she would have sworn she had felt a brief warm pulse of his magic. It was all the comfort she would get.

She closed her eyes to hold the tears back. This was all that was left of her home, her people. Now it was a barren wasteland other species used to wage war against one another. Looking out over the scarred land it was impossible to believe there could be any more of her species who survived this. It was incredible she had survived it.  

Looking down over the plains below she was astounded by the size of the army Harokin had amassed. It didn't seem possible. She swallowed thickly. Each and every one of Harokin's men were experienced and seasoned warriors. Each and every one of them burned with the protections of his sorceress love. Fear surged through her as she thought of Loki with the small group of Asgardian soldiers stepping through the bifrost any minute. They would be swallowed up by the ocean of Harokin's warriors.

It took her far too long to get across the plains and to the palace. There were soldiers everywhere and getting caught would mean death, but this was her world. She had grown up in the shadow of the palace and she was an elf. The Asgardian's might be larger and stronger than her, but their senses left much to be desired. She was quicker and could move like a shadow without any of them realizing she was there.

She had nearly reached the palace when the first blast of light shot down from the sky, she flinched whirling towards it. The bifrost opened right in the middle of the gathered hoard. She blinked away from the blindingly bright rainbow colors. 

Fear tightened her throat. The fool Thor had dropped his men right into the middle of the army. Had dropped Loki right into the middle of the army. Without realizing it she had taken half a step towards the fight that was erupting. Low clouds rumbled and grew and lightning split the sky. She would have sworn she saw flashes of green light and the amulet around her neck warmed. 

She stopped herself. There was nothing she could do to help them down there. She had her job, and she had to trust Loki to do his. It didn't make the anxious ball of worry tightening her chest loosen, but it did give her something else to think about and she broke into a jog. The Asgardian's would be ample distraction.  

Kenna came around the back of the palace, slipping through the crumbling walls into what she vaguely remembered being family quarters for the court artisans. She found an empty room and stepped into it, pushing the door closed behind her. The air was stale and smelled of fire and ash. Small puffs of ash swirled around her feet as she moved through the demolished palace. The toe of her boot caught something buried in the ash and she looked down to see a small skeleton. 

Everyone was dead.

She closed her eyes against tears that burned in the backs of her eyes. What had once been her home, was now a tomb. She had to get out of here. She stumbled to the door, pulling it open. She couldn't breathe. She jerked the cowl down and sucked in a deep breath of stale air. 

She stopped halfway into the hall, unsure where she would go. There was no escaping the devastation around her. She couldn't run away from it. Too long the memory of her people had been lost. She would not dishonor them by running away. But she didn't have to face it alone.  

She reached up, wrapping her trembling hand around the amulet. She let her eyes drift shut and allowed herself to think of him, really think of him. The way his green eyes sparked with mischief most of the time, like when he had been training with her. And yet how, when he thought no one was looking, he worried, he cared. Sometimes it shocked her just how much he cared. He had been raised to be a distant, powerful monarch, and yet Loki cared so much. 

She had just begun to mouth his name when Loki appeared, standing before her looking lithe and powerful in his mud and blood splattered armor. His helmet glimmered in the light and he had daggers in each hand.

When Loki appeared in front of Kenna it took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Mud and ash smudged her skin but tears were shining, unshed in her eyes. Relief poured through him and without thinking he pulled her into his arms.

She felt so tiny, so fragile. He regretted bringing her here.

Kenna melted into him, trembling. Loki held her against his chest for only a moment before he pulled back looking her up and down to make she sure was unharmed. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She looked exhausted already and that worried him. He had known it wouldn't be an easy journey on her, but the power channel would take a lot out of her as well. He wasn't sure she was strong enough to stand up to what was ahead of them and he found he wasn't willing to risk her, no matter the consequences to Asgard. 

Kenna frowned up at him. "Yes, I'm fine," she promised.

There was movement behind them in the hall and the two of them whirled to see two of Harokin's soldiers. Loki's hand blurred and one dagger landed in the first man's throat. The second man turned to run, but he stumbled back as Loki appeared in front of him. He swung his sword at Loki, who raised his hand as though to fend off the strike. The blade cut down towards his head and just as it would have sliced through his arm the illusion flickered and disappeared. Loki teleported behind the man, grabbing his arm in an iron grip. He twisted his arm behind his back, breaking the bone. The man swung with his off hand, catching Loki across the face. Loki stumbled back, regained his balance and kicked out. The man flew backwards straight into Kenna who drove both short swords between the slats of his armored back.

She kicked the body away from herself, clearing the blades. The body landed on the ash covered floor between them with a thud. She stood over it, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She twirled the blades, still getting used to their weight, and slid them away.

Loki watched her with something akin to pride on his face. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for, and whether it was his training, what she learned as a child, or both, she had the potential to make a formidable warrior one day.

"We need to move," Loki said in a low voice stepping towards her.

She looked down at the bodies and nodded a few too many times as the screams from her past echoed in her ears. She fought to forget, but the bodies laying in the ruins of the palace reminded her so much of the day she and her father had barely escaped the palace with their lives. She looked away as bile rose in her throat, but he couldn't let herself lose focus. She was here for a reason.

"Come on," Loki said, holding his hand out to usher her ahead of him. "It isn't safe here."

Kenna nodded and crouched down ripping the talisman's off the dead solider's necks so they would stay dead. Power flared up her arm, but she threw them away from her before it could take hold. Loki stomped on them. The jewels crunching beneath the heel of his boot. Kenna stepped forward and when she passed him he placed his hand on her low back to usher her out into the hall.

She led the way through the burned out husk of the palace, making her way towards the throne room and the center of the temple. They killed men as they went. Loki did most of the fighting, working to keep Kenna protected and behind him.

As the last bodies fell Kenna dragged them through another two doorways and flattened them against the wall. She snatched the helmet off the prince's head and shoved it into his hands. "Hide that," she muttered. "If the size of it doesn't give us away it catches every bit of light."

Loki snorted and pulled off his helmet. His hair was slicked back with sweat, and he moved his hand over the helmet, concealing it with his magic. Satisfied Kenna continued through the rubble moving as silently as possible. Behind her Loki was doing his best to remain silent as well, but he didn't understand how she could move the way she did. 

There was more left of the palace than first appeared and Kenna seemed to know every inch of it. She crouched at a corner and peaked around the edge just as she was about to lead the way around it she stiffened. A host of at least a dozen soldiers were marching down the hall towards them. Loki was an excellent fighter, but even he wouldn't be able to face a dozen of Harokin's men alone. 

She whirled back towards Loki, grabbed his arm, and dragged him through a side door. The room appeared to be the remains of a study or meeting room of some kind. The charred skeletons of furniture were cast around the room as though it had been ransacked before the palace burned.

"What were they looking for?" Loki asked curiously, as he glanced around them.

Kenna looked back at him, her face pinched with annoyance. Asgardian's didn't have hearing of an elf, but the soldiers were still too close to risk conversation. 

"This isn't the first room that looks like it was searched before they lit the blaze," Loki observed, keeping his voice low. When Kenna still didn't answer, he continued, pushing. "They must have been after something-"

"The royal family," Kenna muttered, half under her breath. 

They were too close for him to block the connection even if he had wanted to. She was anxious and worried and so he had worked to foster that small glimmer of annoyance he had felt directed at him. It would prove a useful distraction for her, and he couldn't help but love the glimmer of fire in her eyes when she shot him an annoyed look. 

But when she had answered he couldn't help but feel the nearly violent spike of devastation. Loki turned to look at her frowning. "Kenna, how do you know the palace so well?" he asked conversationally as he followed her across the room towards a seeming featureless wall.

"Now really isn't the time Loki," she grumbled. She pressed her hands against the wall, hoping the catch would still work. It did. The wall slid aside to reveal a hidden passage that would lead to the temple.

"Kenna-" Loki said reaching out to catch her arm. Her emotions were a storm in his chest and he couldn't focus past them. 

She jerked away from him. "Loki," she snapped. They were protected in the passageway, but she wouldn't stop now, she couldn't. He couldn't know what she had been here, it would change everything. "We have to do this now," she said resolutely. 

Loki stared into her eyes. There was so much she wasn't telling him. It was in his nature to push, to demand to know the answers he sought, but she had trusted him. He would trust her and respect her privacy for now, but someday they were going to have to talk about this.  

They moved through the back hallway, passing a multitude of identical panels that would lead to any number of rooms throughout the palace. Kenna didn't hesitate however as she led the way to one that seemed to be just like the rest. She slid the panel up, and flattened herself against the wall, peering into the growing gloom. It was supposed to be the middle of the day, but the sky overhead was like night.  

"There's no one in here," she whispered.

Loki frowned and stepped up in front of her to look for himself. The space was small and their chests brushed against one another as he strained to see through the darkness. 

"Why would there be so many guards in the palace, but no one in the temple?" she whispered. "This is the heart of the Light Elves power in Alfheim." 

A bad feeling went through Loki. He looked down at Kenna from only inches away. "If no one's down here she has probably already drained the power."

Outside the growing storm made it as dark as night. Lightning and thunder raged shaking the weakened walls of the palace as the clouds turned angrily overhead.

"We have to do this now," Loki said, leaning into her to be heard over the storm. "Thor will only be able to hold them back for so long."

Kenna nodded and the two of them slipped through the doors into the ruined temple. Memories surged through Kenna. She had spent so much time here as a child, learning from her mother, sitting with her family during holidays. 

At the front of the room, where the alter had once stood was a deep crack in the floor. Loki narrowed his eyes and walked straight towards it. Peering into the fresh crack he was able to see the smooth exposed surface of a pure white crystal.

Loki swallowed. He could feel the energy humming through this room. Even if the sorceress had already pulled the power there was plenty left here for him to feel it. If the sorceress had half this power they would not survive. He wasn't strong enough to defeat a magic user who could contain this much pure power. He glanced towards Kenna, that protective swell rising within him once more. He had brought her here and she trusted him when so few did. He would do whatever he had to in order to get her out alive. 

"This is it," Kenna said and she knelt next to the crystal in the floor. "This was always shielded by our priests and priestesses," she said looking at the devastation of the temple. 

"They did this," Loki agreed nodding.

Kenna looked up at Loki determination glittering in her eyes. "What do I need to do?"

Loki pressed his lips together. He had never imagined they would get this far in their plan, and the next piece would be the most dangerous for Kenna. "I need you to touch the crystal and I'm going to try to draw the power back through you. You have the greater claim to it than a dark elf. I should be able to channel it, and use it to bind her. I don't know if I can kill her, but it might make it so Harokin's troops are vulnerable."

Kenna didn't like Loki's use of the words try and should and might. It meant he wasn't certain. She pinched her lips together resolving to trust him. She reached down and pressed her hand against the smooth surface of the crystal. The power hummed along her skin like static electricity. She fought the urge to pull her hand back. She had never remembered being able to feel power like this when she had been young. Perhaps her mother would not have been disappointed in her after all. 

Loki reached down and took her other hand in his. Her hands were small, but strong, the palms covered in callouses from working in the gardens. "If it gets to be too much-" he started to say.

"It won't," she promised lifting her chin. 

Loki sighed and laced their fingers together, knowing his next words were futile. "But if it does, you have to swear to me-"

"Loki," she stopped him, squeezing his hand with her own. "Just do it."

Loki took a deep breath. He felt along the connection between him and Kenna. As usual when they were touching it was nearly impossible to block her out. The warmth of the shared power spread through his chest comfortingly. Everything about her was light and warmth. Instead of thinking of it as blocking or not blocking her he opened the connection between them completely. She gasped in surprise, but he felt no fear or pain so he push on. He poured his magic through the connection, binding them together.

He could feel, see and think of nothing but Kenna. She was everywhere, everything. She claimed she didn't have power, but in that moment he realized the reason he could feel her emotions wasn't because of the amulet, it was because he had unknowingly tapped her personal power. She was an untapped empath who hadn't discovered her power yet.

"Kenna," he whispered her name at the same moment she said his.

"Loki," Kenna's voice was breathless as she closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the depth of her connection to Loki. She could feel him, like his soul had a place in her chest nestled beside her heart. She tightened her grip on his hand, unwilling to let him pull away, unwilling to give this up. 

It took all of Loki's focus to move on to the next step. It would have been so easy to stay there, basking in her light, drowning in Kenna. He gathered every piece of their connection, and forced himself to reach through her to the crystal. He realized in that moment why they were called Light Elves. Their power and magic was based entirely on a connection to their land and light and life. It warmed him all the way to the center of his being where he had always felt like a block of ice resided in his heart. 

But...there was something else. Something dark and thick and viscous like tar clouding the power of the crystal. The sorceress. She had formed her own connection and was drawing power from here. He gritted his teeth, felt down through that connection and like sucking in a great lungful of air he pulled all the power back. With Kenna nestled safely in his chest beside his heart the power came almost too willingly. It was like being struck by lightning. He and Kenna screamed as the power blazed through them and over them, seeking a host.

Loki has never felt anything like it. Ever fiber of his being was vibrating with barely contained energy. He had never felt power like this, never thought he would be able to contain it. It surged through him and every ounce of it tasted like Kenna. The power was so pure and light if it could be seen it would have been like staring into the heart of a star.

The power was intoxicating. There was nothing he couldn't do with it surging through his veins like liquid fire. He wanted more. He tightened his grip on Kenna's hand and the connection between them snapped into place. He shuddered. He wanted more, wanted to feel more, do more. If he drew off this light he would be able to defeat any enemy that threatened his home and those he loved.

Kenna moved and his focus was brought back to their purpose. He had to be strong enough to do his part and not be overwhelmed by the power itself. He found the connection the sorceress had used to take the power of the Light Elves. He followed it like a trail back to her and he slammed the power into her. 

He felt her, and in that moment knew her. She had willingly bound herself to that power and he was the master of it. "Magdol," he snarled her name through the power and in it was a command. 

Loki's eyes snapped open. She was coming. He had to be ready to fight. But Kenna was staring up at him. Her black eyes were wide and filled with wonder and when he tried reading her emotions he was shocked to discover that power was no longer his. 

"Loki-" she started to say but there was a crack of energy and in a swirl of magenta power the Dark Elf sorceress appeared before them.

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