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There were about a million places Loki would have rather been than at the feast. There was so much to do before they left in the morning. As the time drew closer and closer the licks of self doubt threatened to overtake him. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a better plan, a different plan, one that didn't require Kenna to return to her homeland.

Kenna was to enter Alfheim through the pass, alone. Loki would stay with the main army until Kenna signaled him. Once he received word that she was in place he would teleport to her position. Together they would attempt to destroy or mildly disrupt the ancient sorceress's power. He didn't like the idea of having Kenna so close to the battle, but he could not think of another way. He could not be seen abandoning his place at his brother's side.

It was uncomfortable for him to think about the hours she would be by herself, surrounded by the enemy army. He had shown her the basics for how to defend herself and while she had certainly been a quick study, it was a far cry to being able to fight against one of Harokin's immortal legions.

He gritted his teeth as he resisted the urge to check on her through their connection. He could feel her presence in the back of his mind all the time. There was no way for him to block that out as long as she wore the amulet. All he had to do was stop thinking about separating her emotions from his and he could feel immediately that she was...annoyed?

It was distracting, feeling her annoyance, wondering what was going on that she felt that way, what was causing it. Lately the only thing he had seen annoy her was him.

He blinked and forced the wall back up between them. He had to focus. He wondered how the sorceress did it, with those hundreds of soldiers connected to her. Downing in their emotions would be maddening. He wondered if he had constructed the amulet incorrectly, if the connection was too strong. It certainly felt that way at times.

Loki didn't listen while his father gave his speech, nor when his brother stood up and did the same. He lifted his goblet at the appropriate time, but only sipped the wine distractedly. The mead girl was moving along the tables refilling the goblets of the men headed into Alfheim in the morning. Loki gritted his teeth. He wanted to tell them what was waiting for them on the dark, dead world. Anything to get them to understand somehow the danger they would all be facing. They were all acting like this was some grand adventure. But Loki knew otherwise.

Loki cracked his neck and swirled the liquid in his goblet, silently counting down how long before he could slip out and get back to the library.

"More mead my lord?" the serving girl asked. The connection tingled and he felt something. He frowned, trying to pinpoint what she was feeling now.

"My lord?" the serving girl asked again.

"No," Loki barked as her quiet words distracted him. Couldn't the daft girl see that his goblet was still full.

He felt the flare of anger rush through him like it was his own and he flinched. The girl leaned between him and Fandral on his right.

He scowled as he recognized the thick, silver braid hanging over the serving girl's shoulder. His inability to block her all of a sudden made sense. Proximity seemed to affect his ability to control what he did and did not feel. And right now she was inches from him and her emotions were a storm of annoyance and anger and...hurt.

He frowned. He hadn't intended to hurt her feelings. He hadn't even realized it was her. Why was she here? She wasn't part of the kitchen staff. Though as he thought back she had brought him a tray earlier. Perhaps she was working temporarily for the kitchen during the feast. Glancing around he tried to pinpoint if any of the other servers were from other parts of the castle, though to be honest he had never paid them enough mind to know one way or another.

Fandral was smiling up at her flirtatiously. "And who might you be?" he asked in a charming voice. "I don't believe we've met."

"Just a servant my lord," she responded in a low voice as she refilled Fandral's goblet. She was working steadfastly to keep her eyes down.

"Oh, no such thing as just as servant. You must be new, I would remember one as beautiful as you." Fandral was known far and wide for his ability to woe the ladies of Asgard. But Kenna was not of Asgard.

Loki bit back a smirk when he felt nothing but a powerful flare of annoyance from Kenna. Kenna curtsied and moved on to the next person down the line.

Kenna ignoring Fandral's notorious advances was enough to get Loki through another few hours of merry making. By the end of three hours his goblet was still full and his patience was waning. The other's were deep into their cups.

Kenna and the other mead girl had been making the rounds and Loki could feel her exhaustion. His curiosity was peaked. He knew he should respect her privacy, and he felt a little bad for not being one hundred percent honest with her about the nature of the amulet. Although technically even he hadn't known the full potential of such a connection. And he wouldn't know until he explored the connection itself in full. He couldn't be expected to disclose what he himself did not know.

The others around him were laughing and drinking and he was just waiting for his chance to slip away. He wouldn't be able to leave until Odin retired for the night. He kept glancing towards the table where his father and mother sat side by side. Frigga and Odin were laughing together, sharing a quiet conversation. It made his chest constrict painfully as he watched them. There were times when it seemed as though his father was nothing but an unfeeling monarch, but sometimes, when he was with Frigga, the love they had for one another was almost painful to witness.

Loki looked back to where Kenna was moving through the tables. He took a swig from his goblet and tried to think about something else. Anything else. It was only a couple hours before it would begin, and he was trapped, sitting at a banquet table. It was ridiculous.

For lack of something better to do he took another swig. He pressed his lips together, he wasn't sure why he was resisting the connection. He was never one to resist something he wanted, especially not something he was curious about. He picked up the goblet, downed it, and let his hold on the connection slip.

She was tired, he could feel her exhaustion as though it were his own muscles that ached. He wished suddenly that he had not pushed her as hard in training the day before. She was not Asgardian. He could feel her annoyance, but he couldn't tell what was causing it. He risked opening the connection a tiny bit more. She was tired and annoyed and angry.

"More mead my lord?" Loki jumped as he felt Kenna brush against his shoulder and he jerked at the unexpected warm flare from the contact. She leaned forward and filled his goblet. Her movements were rough and jerky and he couldn't help feeling like she was now annoyed with him. She stepped back and turned to Fandral. Fandral who had been deep in his cups and was slurring his words.

"Such an odd little thing," Fandral slurred his eyes narrowed as he fought to get his eyes to focus on her face. "Weird eyes...but so pretty," he pronounced in a sing-songy voice.

She leaned forward to refill his cup and Fandral snaked an arm around her waist. He pulled her off balance, spilling her onto his lap.

Loki could read her emotions on her face, so he didn't need the connection, but he was connected to her. Had he only seen the anger and annoyance on her face he would have been able to restrain himself. But there was a flare of deeply rooted, real fear that snaked its way through the connection and into his heart.

Loki didn't think, he just reacted.

He leapt to his feet, knocking his chair back. On his other side Thor laughed, lifting his cup in salute to his brother. Loki grabbed Kenna's arm, pulling her away from Fandral and around behind him in a protected position. She scrambled back.

Her fear was the only thing he could feel, no annoyance, no anger, just soul crushing fear. It enraged him. He pulled Fandral up by his tunic and punched him. Thor's booming laugh echoed in Loki's ears. Fandral scrambled drunkenly to his feet, his fists held up in front of him. He swayed, pinching one eye shut so he would only have one target instead of two.

Loki sighed and shook his head in disgust. There was no honor in fighting a drunkard who could barely keep his feet and would not remember the purpose of the thrashing in the morning.

He turned away from Fandral, but the other man charged him. Loki teleported just to the side and Fandral sprawled on all fours at his feet. Loki regretted starting this. He had never been one to brawl, certainly never at a feast in front of everyone. A feast his mother worked very hard to plan.

He moved and spun, avoiding Fandral until he tricked him into falling into a group of court ladies. They giggled as they caught him and Fandral instantly forgot about Loki and the odd servant with strange eyes.

Loki exhaled as the crowd was laughing and clapping as Fandral kissed the first of the woman. Loki glanced behind him, but Kenna was gone. No one had seemed to notice the small serving girl fleeing the feast. Loki used the distraction to slip out of the hall himself. He touched the connection tentatively. Fear and sadness and embarrassment swirled through him. But he couldn't use it to find her, not unless she touched it.

He returned to the library. Feeling as though there was a lot to be done before the morning. He exhaled as he closed the doors behind him. He cast a ward over the room as he walked to his desk, and leaned over the maps. Now that he was here, he realized there really wasn't as much to keep him busy as he had hoped.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. He still had no idea what to do about the sorceress, no idea how to kill her. If she had been alive as long as Harokin than she was just as immortal as their armies. His plan hinged purely on magical theory. If he was wrong Loki could be leading them both to their deaths.

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Kenna stood in the dark recess of an unknown hallway in the palace. She leaned her forehead against a marble pillar and forced herself to breathe. Panic was still trying to claw its way up her throat and try as she might she was struggling for control. She drew in each even breath, counted to three and exhaled.

It was a simple meditative trick her mother had taught her as a child when she was trying to bring out any magical talent Kenna might have. Her mother had been a powerful priestess in her own right and had been more than a little disappointed her youngest daughter failed to show the same promise as her older sisters. Her father however had never seemed disappointed by Kenna's lack of magical abilities. Instead, he had taken it upon himself to begin training her. She only wished she had paid closer attention to the lessons.

Kenna was sure both her parents would be equally as disappointed to see their daughter now, cowering in a lonely corner from the brutish Asgardians. Kenna looked down at her hands and was surprised to note they were still shaking. She hadn't expected Fandral to grab her and she had expected Loki's reaction even less.

What must he think of her? His chosen companion for the fight against Harokin and his sorceress. The only one standing at Loki's side was a mouse, scared of her own shadow. She reached up with a trembling hand and fidgeted with the hidden necklace as she thought about the prince.

Not half a second later Loki appeared in front of her in a green flash.

Kenna sucked in breath and flinched, but resisted the urge to stumbled back away from him. "What-?" she started to ask but his eyes dipped to where her fingers were still fidgeting with the invisible necklace. She dropped her hand immediately exhaling in exhaustion and closing her eyes as frustration roiled through her. "It is not the words but the intent," she quoted her mother easily, then shook her head at her own ignorance.

"I'm sorry," Loki told her, his green eyes were filled with concern. He was looking down at her with such sincerity it took her breath away. She didn't know if he was apologizing for startling her or for what had happened in the hall. Strangely, it didn't matter. 

She opened her mouth to respond but with all the emotions rushing through her tears filled her eyes once more. "It's not your fault," she said through halting breaths. She did not want the prince to see her like this. They had to leave in the morning and not wanting him to doubt her, she felt as though she owed him an explanation of some kind.

"Sometimes-" she shook her head as she fought to find the words. "I'm still adjusting...sometimes they...catch me by surprise. I-" she choked up and pinched her eyes closed against the tears that threatened to fall. She dropped her shoulders forward and hung her head, wishing the prince would just leave her.

Kenna was too close for Loki to block out her roiling emotions. Fear and shame and anger and regret, but it was the absolute desolation that had him moving towards her. He had a single moment of hesitation, he didn't want to scare her. All his life he had wanted to be feared and respected as his father was, but seeing it in Kenna made it detestable to him. When he saw the tears glistening in her dark eyes he was undone. Loki made a strangled noise in he back of his throat and stepped forward, pulling Kenna into a hug.

Loki's hands were gentle as he pulled her into a hug. She went still for only a moment before she let herself lean into the comfort he offered. She couldn't remember the last time someone had cared. And as distant as he could sometimes act, the prince cared. 

His armor was uncomfortable beneath her cheek, but even through it she could hear the rhythm of his heart. It was faster than she expected. He always seemed so steady, but his heart was racing beneath her cheek. He ran a soothing hand up and down her back and for maybe the first time she didn't feel quite so alone. He was so much larger than her and when he wrapped his arms around her she felt incredibly safe. He smelt of a strange combination of spices, the wine he had drank that night and something fresh and clean yet brisk that reminded her of a winter's morning. He held himself tightly as he comforted her as though he wasn't sure of himself or perhaps he was simply uncomfortable with a slave's emotional breakdown.

Kenna gritted her teeth. She was stronger than this, better, she wasn't a coward. The Asgardian had just surprised her. When she had tried to pull away from Fandral she had realized truly how much stronger they were than her. She had stood no chance at fighting her way free, and old memories best forgotten had swirled to the forefront of her brain. She had panicked and then Loki was there as though he knew something was wrong. He had been drinking, but even then he didn't strike her as the type to succumb to a drunken brawl. Everything Loki did was deliberate and well thought out. So what had happened that she missed?

After a moment she pulled back. Loki reluctantly let her go, his eyes still clouded with concern as he studied her face. She swallowed. "I'm sorry," her voice came out barely above a whisper.

Loki frowned. "You have nothing to apologize for Kenna. If anything-" his words were halted as he fought to control his own emotions. He fought to close the connection between them, but she was still too close. He couldn't think clearly, now when this woman and her tangled emotions effected him so deeply. He was gazing down at her face. She somehow looked as confused as he felt. 

Kenna tensed suddenly, turning to look over her shoulder. Down the hall behind them she could hear voices and footsteps heading their way. Loki was looking at her expectantly, but also slightly confused by her actions. He hadn't heard them yet.

"Someone's coming," she said quickly.

Loki nodded and took her hand in his with hesitation. There was pressure all over her body and the world went dark for one second. When she opened her eyes again they were standing in the dimly lit library. Loki was staring down at her from less than a foot away, an unreadable expression on his face. 

Where their hands were still clasped together heat flowed across their skin binding them together. Kenna couldn't look away from the prince's mesmerizing green eyes. She licked her lips and his gaze followed the motion. Her breath hitched in her chest as she wondered for just a moment if the prince was going to kiss her.

Then Loki pulled away. He stepped back, clasping his hands together behind his back. "Well, it seems you've got very good ears," he kept his voice light, trying to act as though that moment hadn't happened.

Kenna was surprised to find she was disappointed. She cleared her throat and forced herself to smirk back at the prince. "Better than your's Asgardian," she quipped.

Loki smiled but it didn't reach his eyes and he nodded. He turned back to his desk.

"Did you wish to train again tonight?" Kenna asked, she looked down at her hands momentarily as shame burned through her once more. 

Loki's head snapped up, frowning. Which was not the reaction she expected. "No," he said quickly.

Her temper flared. She was stronger than he thought. "You don't have to avoid it because of what happened. I'm fine."

Loki's eye flicked with alarm for a moment and he swallowed. "It has nothing to do with what happened at the feast," he assured her quickly, his eyes clouded with concern.. "We are leaving in less than twelve hours. At this point we should conserve both our strength."

Kenna narrowed her eyes at him as though she didn't quite believe him, but his face was the perfect picture of sincerity. She didn't believe it for a second. Kenna finally shrugged because she was just too tired to argue. She wished so much she had more to give. But unfortunately, the majority of the responsibility for this mission would fall on the prince's shoulders. 

"Why don't you get some sleep," Loki suggested motioning towards the chaise she had slept on the night before. "Fourth bell will come early."

"There are a few things I need from my...shed," she finished lamely. It was dangerously close to a lie. But if Loki could tell he gave no indication. She did need to go to her shed. She needed some space from Loki. 

Loki simply nodded and watched as Kenna slipped hurriedly away.

As soon as she was gone he scrubbed at his face. He needed to keep his focus on the problem at hand. He had nearly kissed her. He had promised himself he would keep his distance from her. She was a slave and had no choice, and after seeing her reaction and drowning in her emotions for the last hour he was sure something terrible had happened to her in the past.

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Kenna changed out of the serving clothes she had been required to wear for the feast and back into her normal everyday dress. She looked around the tiny shed, trying to decide if there was anything here she needed. Not really. If she was honest with herself it had just been an excuse for a few moments away from Loki's intensity. She didn't know if it was just the magical connection between them or if it was something else.

She pinched her eyes shut. It didn't matter. She was a slave here. Nothing more. Just because she had her memories back didn't change her status. She exhaled. She needed to get back. She glanced around her tiny shed that used to be home. This small piece of the world used to feel so safe, now she felt like a stranger standing here. She remembered when this used to feel like the safest place in the universe. Now it felt like one of the shackles used to control her. If she was honest with herself there was only one place she felt safe anymore. 

She moved like a shadow through the palace back towards the library. The feast was just wrapping up and drunken Asgardian's were moving through the palace. Some still celebrating, while others focused on returning to their homes with a chosen companion. Kenna moved silently and avoided being seen all the way back to the library.

She hesitated just outside of the doors. She lifted her hand to knock and frowned. Holding her hand an inch from the doors she felt...warm. Her frown deepened as she pushed her hands closer to the wood, and the heat increased. It wasn't unpleasant, just a warm brush over her skin. She stood there for several minutes marveling at the feeling. It was Loki she knew, his magic, his power. In time she began to feel a gentle warmth on her chest. She reached up her hand to touch the amulet hanging around her neck.

Inside, Loki could feel the push against his wards. He wondered how long she was going to stand there pushing against them. He wondered if she even realized she was doing it. It was odd to have someone else connected to his magic. It reminded him of when he was a kid and his mother had first used her own magic to show him how to control and summon his. It had been nearly a year before he had enough control to summon his own personal power. But in order to teach him, Frigga had shared her power with him. He had never attempted to share his own with another being before. When Frigga had shared hers however, there hadn't been this emotional connection. 

Kenna knocked and it broke his concentration.

Loki drew the ward back into himself and immediately felt her loss like a physical thing. She was still there through their connection, but he was holding himself apart from that as well. Too much had happened and was happening. He couldn't be sure how much of his feelings were blended with hers, or were related to her very nature as a light elf. There was so much he needed to research before he could be sure. Because there had to be a reason he felt this way.

Kenna opened the door and curtsied as was required of her station. It felt like she was using it as a way to put distance between them. Even though he had just been trying to do the same thing, he found it enraged him.

He made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat and she looked up at him, her odd black eyes studying his face warily. The first time he had stared into them, they reminded him of a void, the absence of light. Now they reminded him of deep space. Not empty, but the darkness that held every star in existence.

He cleared his throat and tried to clear his mind. He couldn't keep thinking like this. He needed to get a hold of himself. He forced his attention back down to the useless texts and maps spread out before him. 

"I'll just-" she started to say, feeling awkward. She moved into the room towards the chaise. Loki had already laid out the blanket she had used the previous night and lit a fire in the hearth while she was gone to warm the room. Oddly he never seemed to get cold despite the chilly air that blew in from the open balcony. 

Touched by his thoughtfulness she turned back to the prince who seemed to be steadfastly ignoring her. His eyebrows were furrowed and she knew he was troubled by what they would have to do in the morning. Not only was it dangerous, but he was also going against his family. 

The prince had been kind to her, and she wanted to return the gesture. She cleared her throat, looking down at her hands. "When he was training me my father once told me that a soldier fights when he is told, but a warrior fights when he knows it to be right."

Loki noted the confident set to the elf's chin and the gleam of determination in her eyes. He nodded and couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. "Thank you," he told her sincerely. Her words meant more to him than they should have. He was far from sure this was the best course of action, but he did feel it was the right one. "Your father must have been very wise."

Kenna dipped her chin and a sad look came across her face. "He had his moments," she replied as lightly as possible, not wanting the prince to know how difficult it was to speak about her father."

"He must have trained great warriors."

Kenna snorted but shook her head. "He trained soldiers," she said with certainty. Her father had only ever trained his men to follow him blindly. And they all had. Right down to that last elf. They had followed him straight to ruin and death and the extinction of their species. 

"But he trained you to be a warrior," Loki countered tipping his head towards her. 

Kenna licked her lips and looked away. "He tried. I wish I had-"

Unable to help himself Loki too a step towards her. "You were very young Kenna, you can't blame yourself."

Kenna only nodded and turned quickly away from the prince before he could see the emotions she was struggling to contain. "Goodnight Loki," she said quickly and she laid down, pulling the blankets up around herself before he could think of any more questions to ask her.

Through the amulet he felt her restlessness, her inability to sleep. Fear, apprehension, and most of all sadness. He cracked his neck and tried to keep his focus on the plans before him, but her tangled emotions called to him. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to force himself to focus, but with her being so close it was nearly impossible for him to block her from the connection.

He gestured towards the lamps and dimmed them. Kenna began to relax. When he returned to his table he could feel her focus on him, curiosity mixed with uncertainty and a strange nervous energy that didn't make sense to him. He didn't want the small woman to fear him, it made him feel like a bully. As the time passed she seemed to become more comfortable and more content until she finally drifted off to sleep.

She hadn't been sleeping long when the door behind Loki opened. He whirled towards it, putting his back to his desk. His left hand slipped behind his back, casting an illusion over the sleeping woman. He resisted the overwhelming urge to put himself between her and whoever was coming through the door. 

Frigga stepped into the library, concern etched on her face until she spotted her son. She smiled tiredly at him. "Loki," she greeted stepping into the dimly lit room. She was still dressed grandly from the feast. 

"Mother," he responded stiffly. His eyes lifted to meet hers and he frowned, wondering what she was doing here. He had expected her to have gone straight to bed. 

Frigga smiled good-naturedly despite her sons scowl. "So..." she began looking around the room curiously. "You are have been brawling..." she dragged off the word, as though it were disgusting to her.

"Yes, haven't you heard," Loki snapped back a little sharply. 

Frigga snorted and shook her head. "Loki, the others may believe you suddenly woke up and started behaving in a manner they believe to be normal, but you? Brawling amid a banquet? I know better then that. Now tell me, what troubles you?"

Loki shook his head, turning away from his mother. Frigga had always been too perceptive, it was a wonder she hadn't already deduced the problem. He ground his teeth, damn him for not being able to keep hold of his temper, and damn Fandral for not keeping his hands to himself.

White hot rage surged through him once more at just the memory of Fandral holding Kenna in his arms. The look of fear on her face had been enough to send Loki straight over the edge.

"Loki," Frigga said in a patient voice. "Please talk to me, something is amiss."

Loki only shook his head. She was a slave. They were working together only to defeat Harokin. He couldn't allow himself the indulgence of the feelings he was fighting. 

Seeming to understand she wasn't going to get anywhere head on, Frigga changed her tactics. "Have you been in here all night?" Frigga asked unnecessarily. She stepped towards Loki's chosen desk. As usual there were piles of books and parchment covering the surface. 

There was something going on. As adept at magic as her son had become, it was she who had taught him. Even though she could not discern the nature of his deception, she could always tell when he was using his magic. Since he had become so accomplished she was no longer able to feel it, but there was always something on his face that gave it away.

Loki nodded, keeping a wary eye on his mother. He wanted her to leave quickly before she found Kenna. 

Frigga stopped and reached up to brush some of Loki's hair from his face affectionately. "You need sleep my son."

Kenna stirred in her sleep as she heard voices. She sat up, her eyes fearful as she saw Loki and Queen Frigga standing over the desk of maps.

"Be still."

She flinched as Loki's voice seemed to echo through her mind. Her eyes snapped towards where he stood with his mother, but he was listening intently to something she was saying. He at no point had said this was something the amulet would allow. 

Loki's voice was like velvet on the inside of her mind. "She cannot see or hear you, but the illusion is harder for me to hold the more you move."

Kenna froze, drawing the blanket up around herself. She didn't want to think on the possible ramifications if the queen found her here. Frigga had made her feelings on the matter quite clear. She swallowed thickly, but soon realized the whole of Frigga's focus was on her son.

"General Harokin will be a formidable opponent," Frigga was saying. "But it is reassuring to me to know you and your brother will be there, fighting together, side by side. Please watch out for him. You know how Thor can be."

Loki smiled humorlessly and nodded to his worrying mother. "Of course," he allowed, but Kenna could read the tension thrumming through his body. She wondered if his mother's words hurt him in some way. 

Frigga reached up and cupped the side of his face. "And yourself," she added, smiling lovingly at her son.

Loki nodded uncomfortably, his eyes flickering for just a second to where he knew Kenna was watching. When his attention turned back to Frigga she was studying her son's face. He could tell she was suspicious. 

When Loki gave nothing away Frigga nodded almost sadly and moved towards the door. She opened it and turned back in time to see Loki's eyes travel once more to the chaise on the other side of the room. She pretended not to notice however, instead she turned back to her son. When he met her gaze she smiled at him gently once more.

"Whatever you are planning Loki," she said firmly. "Please, be careful. And please, be cautious with whom you place your trust."

He flinched in surprise and she smiled at him. "You are my son Loki," she replied simply. "You think I can't tell?" she laughed lightly. "I only ask that you be careful, and do what you must to ensure you and your brother come back to me alive."

The door closed behind her and Loki exhaled. He turned around, green light flickered and fell away revealing Kenna. Her hair was disheveled as she sat there staring at him.

He looked back at her apologetically. "Sorry to wake you," he said and he turned back to the table of texts.

Kenna climbed to her feet. The chill in the air had grown and she pulled the blanket with her, wrapping it around her shoulders as she padded barefoot towards the table. She frowned down at the books that were laid out on top of the maps. They appeared to be tales of Harokin and his love of a dark elf sorceress. She picked up one of the texts. "Did you find anything more substantial?"

She glanced up at him, surprised to find the prince standing so close.He was reading over her shoulder.  

Loki watched her as she read. Her slim fingers glided over the pages as she read. 

"Is this her?" she asked, holding up the book in her hands. There was a sketch of one of the most beautiful dark elves she had ever seen. 

Loki nodded. Kenna turned back to the book in her hands, her eyes flickering rapidly over the page. He couldn't look away from her. She was so lovely in the flickering firelight. He swallowed. 

"If it is her..." Kenna dragged off, not looking away from the book in her hand. "How-?" she started to ask, looking up at the prince. Her eyes widened to find him standing so close. She swallowed but not out of nerves.

Loki tightened his hand into a fist at his side as he felt her emotions roiling through the amulet hanging over her heart. For once, not a single one of them was fear. He wanted to take another step closer to her, to feel more of what she felt, to know what she was thinking.

He closed his eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to spy on her. When he opened them she was looking up at him expectantly. 

"How are you going to defeat her? She is thousands of years old," she asked

Loki flashed a cocky smile. "No worries," he assured her. When he looked back at the book however, his smile fell. Because honestly he had no idea. If his theory was correct then she was the most powerful sorceress he had ever read about, let alone met. If their plan to draw the power of the elves out of her didn't work he wasn't certain how he was going to defeat her.

Her worry was so great he could feel it radiating through the amulet even without having to access it. He glanced back at her and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I'll handle it," he promised. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep," he advised.

Kenna nodded, she could tell he wanted time to himself, but he was resisting the urge to give her an order. She appreciated it. She smiled gently in agreement, nodding to him before returning to the chaise that was closest to the fire to sleep.

Loki watched her snuggled up under her blanket and close her eyes. Her hand came up and closed around the amulet and she sighed. Loki worked for another couple hours before he too laid down and drifted off. That night while Kenna gripped the amulet around her neck, Loki dreamed of the lost forests of Alfheim. 

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Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the update!