I'm so excited to announce that Stolen Relic reached 6,000 reads!! Thank you so much all of you who have continued to read and support this story. You are amazing! So, to celebrate...here's an update!

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Loki managed to stay away from Kenna for three days. It was harder than he anticipated. Something had transpired with his parents and her. Something had to, he simply could not have healed Like that on his own. The foreign power, the one that had been sliding beneath his skin like tar since Alfheim was gone. His head felt clearer than it had in weeks, but now all he could do was obsess over what had happened. Everyone else was acting as though it never happened. It made Loki feel crazy, like he had somehow imagined all that had transpired.

Everyone that is, except for Sif. One look from her and he knew all he felt, all he remembered, all he had done had happened. The depth of the hatred in her eyes could only be fed by fear. One moment of lost control and he could have easily killed her. She had every right to hate him.

The memory of fear on Sif's face as her blood pooled in the dirt was enough to keep him away from Kenna. He couldn't bear the thought of hurting her. Even without the foreign power in his system he was still more than capable of being the monster General Torik had labeled him. Sif was an extremely capable Asgardian warrior. Kenna however was far more vulnerable. 

It was that truth alone that kept him from seeking out Kenna in the following days. He missed her soothing presence. He couldn't help feeling she could somehow help make sense of all that had happened, but he had been cruel to her. The hurt on her face when she fled his rooms was burned forever in his heart. He never wanted to see that look on her face again.

Part of him wanted to find her and beg her forgiveness. He knew, deep down however, staying away from him was best for her. What there was between them, what he felt, could never be. Odin would never allow it. She was a slave in Asgard and being his...it would do nothing but make her a target. He was selfish, but not that selfish.

Loki tossed the map away from him in disgust and scrubbed at his tired eyes. He had spent the three days since he awoke studying Asgardian maps searching for possible locations of the paths between the realms. He compared ancient maps with modern ones, seeing if there were any correlation between their differences and where he knew the path to Alfheim to be. If there were any similarities he wasn't smart enough to find them.

Three days of no sleep and he was no closer to discovering the locations between realms. The coronation was only days away and he was getting desperate. He didn't want to ask Kenna. He had closed that door and if he saw her again he wasn't certain he would be able to keep his distance as he should. Unfortunately, he was running out of options.

The bells struck five outside the balcony and he stood and stretched, another night passed without sleep. He slid his palm over the desk before him and his work shimmered for a moment before it disappeared from sight. It wouldn't do for an unsuspecting servant to stumble upon his plans, or hel forbid his nosy mother.

He hadn't seen Frigga since the first morning he woke. She had been distant and distracted, not fawning over him as he would have expected given he had nearly died. It convinced him that she had something to do with whatever it had taken to get the foreign magic out of him. He could think of no other magic user powerful enough, but he was too cowardly to ask. The other possibility was that Frigga had simply became engrossed with the coronation like everyone else around the palace.

Resolved that he had no other option Loki teleported to his mother's garden. He had no choice, but to speak with Kenna. He had been blocking their connection so completely over the last few days that he couldn't tell where she was located in the garden. He moved silently along the paths towards the small shed. The sun was just rising and he assumed she was still asleep. He turned a corner and was surprised to find Kenna already kneeling beside the path her hands in the soil. Her silver braid coiled over one shoulder, some of the hair had slipped free, hiding her face from him.

His chest tightened and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as his emotions roiled through him. Kenna's head snapped up like she had heard him, but he knew that was impossible. He hadn't made a sound. She turned towards him and didn't look at all surprised to see him standing before her. Something else had alerted her to his presence, he wanted to ask, but he hesitated.

Kenna hesitated with her hands buried in the soil as a warmth opened up in her chest. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a few seconds to revel in it. It had been days since she felt Loki. His quiet steady presence in her chest was like a drug. Their magical connection made it uncomfortable to be apart for so long.

His harsh words were fresh in her mind however, and the small smile his presence brought across her face stilled. She schooled her expression as she tried to decide how to respond to his sudden appearance. She rubbed the dirt off her hands and turned to face him. He looked exhausted, deep purple bags stood out starkly against his pale skin.

Loki blanched. He clearly hadn't expected her to sense him through the collar. She could feel how uncomfortable and uncertain he was. She didn't need her abilities, she could read it in his body language as he shifted his weight from one leg back to the other. He was holding a scroll in his hands and her face fell. He was here for the maps. She had wondered how long it would be. Their plan hinged on her knowledge of...

Kenna shifted the collar on her neck and closed her eyes as she fought to cling to those memories. The bits of who she was drifted away like leaves and she was left standing before him feeling like she had been cut adrift as pain radiated through her entire body. 

She had her hands wrapped around the collar, trying to hold it away from her skin, but she couldn't remember why Loki was here. She blinked at him, trying to remember why she felt so irritated with him. She knew she was, but it the memories were suddenly out of reach.

Kenna leaned forward and coughed as tears started streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. A spike of pain swept through her and suddenly she was left alone with her own feelings. It was strangely uncomfortable.

As soon as tears appeared on Kenna's face Loki jumped towards her. He reached up and with a practiced surge of magic the collar opened and fell into his palms.

Kenna sucked in a breath as the surge of memories and emotions hit her full force. She leaned forward and tried to hold onto her anger, but it was lost as wave after wave of suppressed emotions rose within her and threatened to pull her under. Kenna was shaking and panting from the effort of holding herself together.

Loki caught her by the shoulder, shifting the scroll and collar to one hand. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Loki frowned down at her. Her skin was warm to the touch. Kenna was pale and her skin looked feverish. She looked worse than she had even as the collar was attacking her. He had never considered the fact that the constant back and forth of her memories and the power could have some kind of negative effect on her. it warranted some future research.

Kenna looked up to find Loki's vibrant green eyes only inches from her own. The heat from his hand on her bare shoulder was like a brand. She needed to get away from him. She needed room to think and she couldn't when he was this close. He looked back at her and seemed just as surprised as she was to find her so close. Instead of backing away however, his grip on her tightened as he flexed his fingers.

Kenna's breath caught in her throat and his pupils flared. The heat that existed between them through the connection flared and began to spread. Kenna sucked in a breath and took half a step towards him like a magnet was pulling her closer to him. She reached out and her hands rested on his chest. He tipped his head down towards her.

Kenna licked her lips and let out a shaky breath. With the collar off she was blindsided by his desire and affection. "L-" she started to say, her eyes widening.

She knew he cared. He wasn't one to talk about it but she had felt it before. The depth of this was like nothing she had ever felt before. They were both frozen, staring at one another, each waiting for the other to decide. 

A small sliver of uncertainty came through their connection and Kenna's eyes widened. "No, I-" she started to say, but stopped, uncertain how she was going to finish that.

What could she honestly say? His cold treatment just days before was still fresh, as was the Queen's clear desire to keep her permanently under the control of the collar. There was no hope. No possible chance for a solution. She was a slave. End of story.

Loki felt her hesitation and it was like a physical blow to his chest.

His pain flared through Kenna's chest the same moment it showed in Loki's eyes and then it was gone. His emotions all bottled up and disappeared both from her senses and from his face all in the span of a few seconds.  Kenna pulled back physically at the same moment he shielded himself from her. Just like that he stood imposing and composed before her as the Prince of Asgard.

She pressed her lips together, uncertain what to do or say. There was a small part of her that wished she would have been brave enough to close those last few inches between them. A piece that wondered what could have been had she only been brave enough.

Her jaw tightened. She was Ljosalfar's heir. She was not the cowardly, mousy slave who had skittered around these halls for nearly a millennium. She would not live what little she had of this life in her control afraid. She refused.

Kenna reached down, moving as quickly as she was capable and snatched the collar and scroll out of Loki's hands. He flinched at her speed. She was faster than even he was. The only way for him to be quicker was to use his power or teleport. It was sometimes reassuring for him to be reminded of that. Asgard was beautiful but it had it's dangers and she was so much smaller than most Asgardian's. So much more fragile.

There was a part of him that wanted so badly to convince her to allow him to continue to train her. She had a good base, her father had trained her well when she was young, but she could be taught to use her speed as a real asset. He wanted to say something, to ask, but he wasn't sure how. He didn't have the excuse anymore for them to spend the time together.

He opened his mouth to say something and closed it as she slipped the collar beneath one arm and unrolled part of the scroll, revealing the map he had been bringing her, intent on asking her to help.

Kenna nodded to herself as she looked it over. "I'll have this to you tomorrow," she promised suddenly all business.

"Kenna," he started to say and she schooled her face into a perfect mirror of his own emotionless mask.

"Did you require anything else Prince Loki?" she asked sharply. A pounding had started just behind her left eye and it made her words sharper than she intended. 

"Kenna I-" he started to say.

Kenna closed her eyes and Loki stopped. He had intended to be strong about this. He intended to keep his distance from her and all it had taken was one look, one touch and he was undone. He realized in that moment he was in far greater trouble than he had first realized.

He stepped back away from her, putting much needed distance between the two of them. "Thank you," he said and he stared at her expectantly.

Kenna nodded, looking down at the two things in her hands to avert her gaze. It was becoming difficult to keep the rising pain off her face. "I will return the maps to you when I'm done," she said. Refusing to meet his eyes she glanced over Loki's shoulder. "Your mother will be arriving soon, I expect."

Loki nodded, not mistaking the clear dismissal. She was the slave here. She didn't give the orders, but Loki held his tongue. He would never throw that in her face. He bowed his head once and left.

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Loki returned to training that afternoon for the first time since the incident with Sif. No one said a word about what happened, but Thor stepped up to be partnered with Loki instead of anyone else. It had been a long time since the two brothers trained together, both usually preferring sparring partners who didn't know them quite so well.

General Torik looked immediately disappointed as Thor proceeded to grab Loki and toss him across the training yard. It was nothing new, Torik had spent Loki's lifetime being disappointed in his younger student. Loki sighed and pushed himself back up to his feet, dusting off his armor.

"What's wrong brother?" Thor asked flashing a cheeky smile. "Not feeling like yourself?" 

Loki scowled and faced off once more against Thor. Both brothers stood unarmed ten feet from one another. Thor's eyes lit up as he seemed to realize Loki was going to engage this time. Thor smiled brightly and using every bit of his strength and speed reached for his brother again. Loki twisted and turned, easily keeping himself just out of reach. Thor grunted in annoyance as his hands once again came up empty. A slow smirk started to stretch across Loki's face. Thor was actually a challenge to evade and it felt good to move at his full capabilities.

Loki's entire focus however was on Thor and he didn't see General Torik pick up a spear from the weapons rack. Torik circled around the Princes. He had been training them since they were boys and while Thor was the pride of his military force, Loki was as equal of a disappointment.  All the more frustrating was that the boy could he so much more if he just applied himself. Torik closed in on the brothers and just as Loki was about to move once more to avoid a physical clash with Thor, Torik slammed the staff of the spear against Loki's shins. He just needed to be pushed, Torik needed to find the right motivation.

Loki stumbled, he recovered his balance but Thor caught him with a rough backhand that knocked him into the dirt.

Seething with rage Loki threw himself to his feet, summoning two daggers. He tossed an angry glare at Torik before he turned his focus to his brute of a brother as Thor swung at him again. He dodged, swinging around and kicked out catching Thor across the jaw with his boot. There was an audible crack but the brothers didn't stop.

Thor was thrown back onto the ground and Loki took a menacing step towards him, his daggers gripped in his fists. A sudden wave of pain radiated through his chest in a brief flash of light behind his eyes. He grabbed at his chest, sucking in a sharp breath as he tried to push his way past it. Thor was on his feet in that time and punched his brother. Loki hit the ground and had the wind knocked out of him. When he looked up Thor was smiling down at him.

"What happened brother?" Thor boomed loudly enough for the whole training grounds to hear them. "Did your little slave keep you up too late last night?" Thor laughed at his own joke and Loki seethed. Torik stared at them thoughtfully and Loki tightened his jaw. He needed to do something to protect Kenna.

His eyes flickered over to where the warriors three were guffawing loudly. Only Sif and Hogun stood silently behind the others. Loki met Sif's gaze but she looked away quickly, turning her focus back to sparring with Hogun.

Their laughter set his teeth on edge, as did their implication that there was something more going on with Kenna. He shoved himself to his feet and faced off against his brother once more.

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Kenna sat at her table, a quill gripped in one hand while the fingers of her other hand traced over Loki's amulet thoughtfully. The pounding in her temples which had started when the collar was removed still hadn't abated and it was making it difficult to focus on her task. It was so much worse than it had ever been before. She wondered briefly if it was something Sigyn had done to the collar.

Shaking her head she forced herself to focus on the maps and recall her father's lessons. Her quill moved effortlessly over the parchment but she didn't stop with just the location of the path to Jotenheim. She gave Loki everything he could want from her.

When she was done she calmly set the pen down and rolled the map. Her fingers traced over the gems of the amulet once more. She could feel bits of Loki through their connection. For some reason he wasn't blocking her as hard now and the gentle warmth in her chest reminded her of their near kiss. A blush warmed her cheeks just thinking about it. He had been so close. She closed her eyes, banishing the thought. He was a Prince.

Movement outside reached her ears and she stashed the map away where it couldn't be found. If their plan was discovered Loki could be imprisoned for treason or worse. She snatched up the collar but stopped as a wave of pain nearly dropped her to her knees. She couldn't keep doing this. They couldn't keep doing this. She knew he regretted it, had felt his uncertainty and his disgust.  Knowing one of them would have to be strong she reached up towards her neck resolved in her decision.

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Loki was sore as he limped back to the library that evening. He rubbed at the spot in the center of his chest, uncertain what caused the continued painfully hollow feeling. He didn't remember Thor striking him there and he knew what broken ribs felt like and this wasn't that. He refused to go see the healers. He didn't need his mother showing up and fretting over him this evening. He wanted a little peace. He still had some of the balm Kenna had made him. It would soothe the worst of his aches.

He threw out tongues of fire into the lamps, bathing the room in green light. He approached his desk and sucked in a breath as he spotted the rolled up maps he had left with Kenna. Draped over the top of them was the necklace he had given her. Loki froze, staring down at the amulet in shock. Without thought he dropped the shielding he had been using to keep himself separate from her.

It was like a physical blow when he reached down the line of connection between them and found nothing.

Loki reached out and grabbed the amulet, closing his fist around it as her rejection burned through his veins like poison. He closed his eyes and slammed his fist into the table. The marble surface cracked beneath his fist. The door behind him opened and Frigga stepped inside.

He slid his hand over the desktop, hiding the maps from view.

"Yes mother?" Loki's voice was sharper than he intended, but he found he couldn't contain his emotions just now no matter how hard he tried.

Frigga pulled up short, the tray she had been bringing her son still in her hands. She stared hard at her youngest son. She could see the anguish in his eyes even as he fought to control his expression.

"I was told it was a particularly hard day of training, and as I did not see you at breakfast-" she placed the tray down on his desk and gestures towards it meaningfully. Her eyes glanced over the cracked marble but she didn't say anything. "How are you feeling?" she asked carefully.

"Fine," Loki responded, tightening his hand around the necklace in his grip, he didn't want her to see it. He was too upset to come up with a convincing lie just now and if his mother sensed any of it she wouldn't leave until she was satisfied.

Frigga shifted uncomfortably but stepped towards him none-the-less. She touched his cheek. "You look tired, you should rest my dear."

Loki grunted in agreement, it was the best way to excuse himself from this conversation. "You're probably right," Loki agreed. He slid his hand over the top of the desk, taking the maps with him. "Good night mother," he called over his shoulder.

Frigga remained in the library, wondering what it was her son was working so hard to keep from her. She couldn't shake the feeling it still had something to do with that elf.

Loki stalked out of the room, steeling himself against the pain so his mother wouldn't know he was injured. When he got to his room he slammed the door behind him and leaned backwards against it as his emotions raged out of control. His powers were swirling through him and he pinched his eyes shut. He shouldn't feel this way. She was a slave, nothing more. She didn't matter. She was beneath him.

He flung the necklace away from him in disgust. It clattered against his bookcase and fell amongst the mess of papers and books out of sight. He had succeeded, he wanted to push her away and he had. It shouldn't feel this bad. They had nearly kissed, it felt like the beginning of something. Instead it was the end. Loki chuckled mirthlessly at how cruel the fates could be.

Loki walked over to his desk and made the maps appear on it's surface. He unrolled them and stared down at Kenna's neat, even writing. She had included not just the passage to Jotumheim, but all other realms that were connected to Asgard. It was as much of a goodbye as the necklace had been. Kenna's feelings were clear. She wanted him to leave her alone. He would respect that.

Loki pulled off his shirt and walked into his bathing chambers. There he pulled the small glass jar of Kenna's balm off the shelf. He spread it over his sore skin even knowing the lavender and eucalyptus scent would remind him of her.

He was exhausted, but this couldn't wait. The coronation was only days away. He pulled on his armor and teleported out of the palace. His horse was in the royal stable but he couldn't be seen out of the palace this night. He cast the spell to protect himself from Heimdall's sight and teleported to one of the villages on the edge of the city. There, he commandeered a horse. The creature was magnificent with a coat the collar of frost. He conjured a saddle and bridle for the beast and rode the stallion out of the small town at a gallop with only the lights from the aurora's to guide his way.

It was nearly dawn in Asgard when Loki finally returned to the palace. He was exhausted, but he couldn't allow anyone to know he hadn't been in the palace all evening. He wandered sleepily through the halls. He was going to have to rest or his body was going to force him to. His feet brought him halfway towards the gardens before he realized where he was headed. He turned back towards his chambers, wishing he could tell Kenna what all had transpired that night.

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For some reason Frigga seemed to have a renewed interest in her garden that set Kenna in edge. She did her best to ignore Frigga and the other servants as they came and went over the next couple days. It was lonely in the garden, but she focused on her work and avoided the others as much as possible.

As the coronation approached however she was moved down to work in the kitchens more and more. Prince Thor was all the gossip among the other servants but Kenna steadfastly ignored them and focused on her work.

Despite the time away from Loki Queen Frigga seemed to be keeping an even closer eye on Kenna than before. She couldn't imagine what it was about her that made the Queen feel so threatened. There were images and flashes of memory that came and went at odd hours. While Kenna couldn't seem to hold onto them for long, there were enough for her to know she needed to be wary of the Asgardian Queen. She recognized in her a conviction to do whatever was necessary to protect her family, and for some reason Frigga seemed to have decided Kenna was her enemy.

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Thank you all for you continued support. I can't tell you how much every vote and comment means to me. I have so much more of Kenna and Loki's story to tell and your support keeps me writing!