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"Bring the fire."

I brought it, curling at my fingers into a small disk. I pushed it from the palm of my hand so that it lifted into the air, coming to a stop before Odin's face.

"Shape it," he commanded, "Show me a blade of flame."

I tried. Winced at the effort it caused me. The disk spluttered, hazing in and out, but maintaining its uneven shape.

"I can't."

Odin bowed his head. "Call it back."

I pulled it into me. It withdrew slightly from Odin, drawing closer to me. But then, it jutted, grew, swelled, pulsed. I grimaced, straining against the force that prevented me from drawing the power back to me.

But ever since I'd gotten a real use out of my powers back in New York, ever since I'd had a taste of true freedom, of not having to hold back, my powers were no longer at my command. Even after months of practice.

It had taken Odin weeks to convince me to begin training again, under his guidance. "The longer your power lies out of use, the harder it will be to tame it when it gets away from you," he'd told me. The first day, and the days that followed, I could hardly find the courage and willpower to light a tea candle. I let the fire out slowly. Unravelling my power piece by piece, not trusting what I would do with it.

I'd refused to leave the dungeons, and we'd taken up training in the hall that separated the two rows of cages. Which meant my favourite person in the world had front row seats to my humiliating training every day. Including today.

"Would you like me to come blow it out?" Loki asked, peering up from his book behind the glass of his cell.

"Very amusing, Loki," I snapped back, as I strained to reign my powers back in.

At first, I hadn't engaged him when he'd spoken to me. And he'd tried speaking to me everyday, eventually giving up on waiting for a response and just carrying out full conversations with me as though I was listening. I gave him the scare of his life when I finally did respond one day.

I couldn't really help it. Even though Sigrid, Bodil, Bersi, Thor, Odin, and Frigga all paid me visits on the daily, living in a secluded dungeon was lonely.

I had by no means forgiven him for anything. In fact, the anger I felt towards him burned in my chest hotter than my fire. The first chance I got, I wanted to slap him across the face. A few times, for good measure.

But speaking to him wasn't something that could really be helped when I was confined to living directly across from him.

"Concentrate," Odin chastised.

I nodded, lifting both hands to better control the flame. To extinguish it. "I can't do it." I sighed, dropping my hands at my sides and giving up.

"Very well," Odin said disappointedly, and with a wave of his hand, a blast of wind extinguished the fire for me. "Controlling your powers, Alivia, is just as much a mental task as a physical one. Clearly, you lack the capacity to control your powers because you don't believe they are yours to control." He took a pause, folding his hands, "I will be back tomorrow. And every day after that, if that's what it takes."

He guided me back to my cell, wordlessly closing the door behind me and exiting the dungeon.

"Shame," Loki began.

"Don't start," I warned, slumping into a large armchair in the corner of the cell.

Odin had immediately seen to having it furnished, having had most of the things from my old room moved down here. My favourite item in my new accommodations, though? Even more than my bed, sketchbooks, novels, and desk?

I stood, gripping the pole that connected to the curtains that enclosed the entire cell. "These are tremendously effective when I want to ignore you," I said to Loki, as I walked the length of the cell to pull the curtains closed. I peaked back out from between the cracks in the curtain, smirking at him. "That's why, unlike you, I behave. Means I get to bask in the luxury of not seeing your stupid face."

"What if I like it when you misbehave?" he teased, and I rolled my eyes, shutting the curtains fully.

I sat back down on my chair laying my head back and closing my eyes.

"While curtains do wonders in removing me from your line of sight, fortunately you can still hear me, pet."

"Call me that one more time and I'll light your hair on fire." I didn't open my eyes as I called back a riposte.

"Everyday you say that, and yet everyday my hair remains intact. I'm beginning to think you're all talk."

"You won't be thinking that tomorrow when you wake up bald."

"I'm sure if you snuck into my room late at night intent on cooking me I could persuade you to spend your evening differently."

"You have got to be the most self-obsessed person I have ever met," I shot back, snapping open the curtains again to glare at him. "You quite literally unleashed an invasion into my home planet and still think that I'd ever sleep with you?"

"These cells certainly make it difficult. Though you and I both know you could leave yours anytime you like."

"This may come as a shock to you Loki, but it really isn't the cells that are keeping me off of you."

"Is it your compelling sense of duty, then?" he asked, his lips curled into a provocative smirk, "Because I'm sure I could convince you to ignore it."

"You're impossible."

"You love it."

I clenched my jaw and drew back, letting the curtains fall closed in front of me. I hated those small reminders of the time before all of this. Back when I could just talk with him, just be with him, without a constant feeling of dread, betrayal, anger, curling deep in my chest.

I didn't respond to him, instead opting to visit my desk and compose a few drawings to while away the hours.

I was so wrapped up in my artwork, that I was scared to within an inch of my life when Sigrid's head appeared over my shoulder.

"That's dark," she observed, and I snatched up my drawing, stuffing it into one my my drawers.

Ever since New York, my drawings had taken a turn for the dreary. Death, fire, destruction. I couldn't get it out of my head any other way except drawing.

I swiveled around in my chair to see that Sigrid, Bodil, and Bersi had all barged in and made themselves at home, lounging strategically around my room. I rolled my eyes and smiled, folding my arms.

"So," I began, turning my attention to Bersi, "When did you all arrive back? Did everything go smoothly in Vanaheim?"

He, Thor, and a group of others had all been gone the past few days, on campaign in Vanaheim, the last of the realms to which they had to restore peace after the destruction of the Bifrost.

"Came to see you as soon as I arrived back," Bersi smiled. I hadn't been all that close to him my last stay at Asgard, but I'd gotten to know him well in the past few months, and found he reminded me a lot of Bruce. A gentle giant.

"You flatter me," I said, beaming in the company of my friends. "And Thor?"

"Celebrating," Bodil answered shortly, as Sigrid waltzed over toward Bersi, plopping herself down on his lap.

"Ah," my smile turned into a forced one. Ever since I'd chosen to be a prisoner, Thor had never quite looked at me the same. At first, he didn't visit at all, hoping I would "come to my senses". But when that never happened, he resolved to visit. Granted, out of all my visitors, he was the least frequent.

"Don't pout, Alivia," Loki's voice sounded from across the hall, "The last time my dear brother spoke to me was when they first threw me in this cage."

"Perhaps on account of the fact that last you saw him, you dropped him to his death," Bodil shot at him.

"And stabbed him," I added, "He told us about that too."

"He's alive now, is he not?" Loki argued.

Sigrid rolled her eyes, pushing to her feet and crossing the room to close the curtains.

"Thor did ask that we extend an invitation to you," Sigrid began slowly as she reseated herself, "He wanted to know if you'd join the celebration."

"You would think that months spent asking without success for me to come out would've gotten him to give up."

"My brother is a stubborn man," Loki's voice came from behind the curtain. And then, softly, "And so am I."

"Oh for Christ's sake would you shut up?" I blurted, before turning to my friends, "I swear if tomorrow he winds up bald, you'll all know why."

They all chuckled. The laughter ebbed slowly and awkwardly. And then, Bodil shifted, opening her mouth slowly to speak, as though she was hesitant. "Alivia... Perhaps if only for the night—"

"What would be the point of staying in this cage if I left whenever I got bored?" I asked, hefting up my sleeve and showing them my scarred skin. "I did this. I've done worse. Ever since New York my powers have gotten so far out of my control..." I lowered my voice, hoping Loki couldn't hear what I was about to say. "It terrifies me. You can't know what it's like to feel so out of control in your own body."

Bodil sighed. They all did. I was used to their disappointment by now, it was an emotion shared by everyone who came to see me, it seemed.

Well, everyone but Frigga. I would never say as much to my friends' faces, but my favourite visitor in these past months was Frigga. She was always quiet and gentle. Always kind. When silence fell between us, I didn't feel that she was expecting anything from me. It was like she understood everything going on in my mind without me even having to voice it.

"You should all go enjoy the celebration," I said after a few silent moments. They opened their mouths to protest but I waved my hand, "No, really, I'm getting tired and you all deserve to have fun."

Reluctantly, they obliged my wish, shutting the glass door to my cage and making for the exit with several guilty glances backward.

It felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders when they were finally out of sight. I didn't feel guilty about the relief I found in being alone.

I slumped onto my bed, closing my eyes and pretending I was anywhere else. And that the people close to me were safe.

Hopeless fantasies to comfort me when no one else would.

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