The air was tense, like huge billowing clouds moving all around you. Loki tried to reason with Thor by talking first, but he was ready to pounce at any moment should Thor make a move towards using violence.

"Fathers wrong, Thor!" Loki insists.

Loki was met with a mournful expression as Thor argued, "He's never wrong brother, everything he sees has always come to be."

"Why do you think I have remained far from Asgard! If I'm not there, then it can't happen. Yet you still hunt me, that is why I flee from place to place"

"I'm following orders, I don't want to hunt you Loki. But our father insists you always be within his sight"

"In his sight?" Loki snorts, "No Thor, you mean under his boot or locked away as a prisoner. Condemned and punished as though his vision had already came to be"

"I know he treats you unjust at times, Loki, I never wanted to believe his vision could be true. But your actions here on Midgard goes to show your complete disregard for a realms rules. Breaking the laws, changing the people—you cause chaos, and Asgard needs to be protected from you"

In response to Thor's final remarks, Loki's visage briefly showed pain, but this emotion was rapidly replaced with rage.

"The apple never falls far from the tree," Loki snarls, "you sound just like your father, Thor—the both of you, a pair of rotten apples."

Loki kept his protective stance in front of you, but his anguish was evident beneath his outrage.

A single step brings you up against Loki's back, and you raise a hand to rest on his shoulders with a smooth, upward glide, making sure he feels your presence and the depth of your affection. His stiff body unwinds with your touch, and his anger at Thor begins to subside.

Thor was awestruck as he watched you tame Loki with with a simple touch. When Loki turned around to look at you, the pain in his eyes was enough to cripple you. You feel his sorrow, his longing to be accepted, and to not be looked at like an outcast or judged as one.

Thor failed to recognise the positive changes that Loki had brought to the town. He was blind to the good that came from Loki's rule and only perceived the negative effects of Loki's unlawful punishments.

You gazed lovingly at Loki and spoke from your heart, "Your life has been unkind, maybe even cruel. But I am beside you now, never judging you, only loving you for who you are. Let me kiss your pain away my love" your sweet voice was a melody that soothed his bruised heart.

He gently pressed his forehead to yours, and whispered, "Your words are everything to me, darling."

In your eagerness to show Loki how much you cherish and value him, you planted a kiss on his lips. You wanted to love him so much that it dispelled any fears he may have had that he wasn't someone worthy of love, and the desire to protect him was overwhelming.

He craved you also, and wasn't shy about it. With strength and lust he pushed harder into your kiss, unbothered that Thor watched.

Tingles run through your body as you moan into his open mouthed kiss, and as your hands wove through his ebony hair, your kiss took on a fiery passion.

Thor made an effort to capture your attention by clearing his throat. You cease kissing, but smile against Loki's lips, and he looks amused in your eyes.

"I think we make your brother uncomfortable" you murmur in the lowest of whispers.

In the same low, covert tone, Loki answered, "Outstanding, perhaps if we keep it up, he'll go away"

You both laugh quietly so as not to draw attention to yourselves, but Thor's loud declaration, "I hear you," interrupts your attempt at stealth.

You and Loki giggle aloud, turning to face Thor who had a tinge of pink in his cheeks and Loki took a deep breath before addressing him.

"If I stay in Midguard, I will abide by their rules, and live peacefully amongst mortals. I will blend in and be unseen. If I'm happy here with my love, then how can what father saw come true?" Loki continued his attempt to reason with Thor.

"The time for bargaining has long passed Loki, maybe this would have worked before....before father was whispered a name"

Loki sent an uneasy glance in Thor's direction. "What was the name, Thor? Was it Mina?" he inquired anxiously.

"Brother, I truly do no know. Father is not allowed to repeat the name to anyone. He can only do so when she goes to him. That is when he will ask her, ask of her name"

As Thor watched, Loki became agitated and began pacing back and forth, yet he never strayed far from your side.

"We just need to know if the name he was whispered matches" Thor said, "but don't fret brother, it is unlikely. She is Midgardian after all, they're weak in comparison to other inhabitants of other realms. It could not be a mortal surely—this can't be love, this is just infatuation right?"

Thor regarded Loki with interest, needing to know urgently if Loki was capable of love and whether or not he loved you.

Loki stared at Thor angrily, "So you think me a monster still, one with a stone for a heart unable to love or feel. This is not infatuation brother, this is real. Mina has melted my frosted heart, and it beats for her and for her alone! —Yes, a mortal. A mortal woman—never above me, never below me, but always beside me. She is my equal, and regardless of what makes up our souls, hers and mine are equivalent"

There was a sudden seriousness about Thor's demeanour, as though he'd just received the worst possible news.

"Then I'm sorry brother, I'm sorry that this news didn't bring cause for celebrations. Instead this proclamation just further proves fathers vision. For it was your true love that—"

"Do not say it Thor!" Loki barks.

You looked confused at their exchange, and knew Loki was purposely keeping you out of the loop. He didn't want you to hear anything that may involve you.

"When news got to father that I found you, he didn't want to risk you escaping my clutches yet again. Not this time, he grows desperate Loki" 

Sudden fear hit you like a tsunami, and it swept over your entire body. You stooped and clutched at your chest and both Thor and Loki were startled by your agonising noise.

"What is it, darling?" Loki spoke in a tense tone. He caressed your back gently while you caught your breath.

"You can sense them, can't you" Thor stated incredulously, "you are indeed a unique human being" he quickly added in admiration of you, but then sighed, knowing what was to come.

"I sense dread Loki, something bad is about to happen" you said in a frightful panic.

Loki shot up, and with a look of unease on his face, he swept the room with his penetrating eyes and realised he, too, could feel something.

Fearful, Loki yells at the top of his lungs, "What did you do, Thor!!"

"You should have come with me" Thor said meekly, "It would have been simpler if you did, but now—now they come." Thor's tone showed sadness, his face displaying guilt.

The look of terror on Loki's face sent chills down your spine. Whatever was coming scared him to the point where sweat beaded on his brow. A sudden wave of nervousness hit both you and him.

"You called them!" Loki shouted frantic, "why brother!"

"No Loki, I just ran out of time. Father is desperate, he only gave me a certain amount of time before he sent his ravens to collect"

Loki gasp as Thor confirmed his worst fears.

"No! Why didn't you warn me sooner Thor. I would have come with you if I knew Odin's ravens were coming for me, I would have cooperated!"

"You know we are not allowed to announce they come. But it's too late now, they're almost here" Thor said with a great sense of remorse.

As his mood sank, Loki cast his gaze downward. And with the passivity of a frightened kid awaiting his punishment, he withdrew into himself.

"Make sure you look after Mina when they take me—promise me, Thor!" Loki pleads, not wanting to look at you for fear it will break his heart and show his extreme fear.

As a result of Thor's silence, Loki jerked his head towards his direction.

"You are mistaken brother, they come not for you.....but her"

"NOOO!" Loki yells, his distraught voice rebounding off the walls.

"Loki, you're frightening me, tell me what's going on please!"

In an instant, the entire church is filled with piercing squawks, and winds that sound like a tornado have sprung up out of nowhere.

Squinting, you make out what appear to be black wings, like those of birds, within the gust of wind. Their volume has increased to a deafening level.

All of a sudden, Loki reaches out and clasps your hands. He leans in close and murmurs something that strikes terror in your heart.

"Whatever you do, do not let them sense your fear, be brave kitten"

You look at Loki with pleading eyes. "Please Loki, I'm scared"

The wind encompassed you both and with the loud bird squawking, flapping of wings, and the howling of gales, all sound was completely blotted out. He looked directly at you, and in the chaos, you just made out what he was saying by reading his lips.

"I'm sorry"

You can no longer sense Loki's hands on yours as you are abruptly surrounded by pitch blackness. Your heart was racing as your worst nightmare of being in the dark had just been resurrected. But just as terror sets in, a bright light floods the area.

You're pleased to get out of the darkness, even though the quick transition from dark to light caused some blurring to your vision. As you start to see more clearly, you spot Loki and Thor standing side by side across the church hall, but they peer at you with a surprised expression.

"Loki?" you speak warily.

You hear Thor whisper to Loki, "How is she still here, why haven't they taken her?"

You fixed your fearful gaze on Loki, who sprang up in an attempt to run over to you, but Thor caught him and held him back. Loki fought him, but Thor yelled and pointed at something in the direction behind your.

"Loki, you can't go to her. Look!"

Witnessing the horror in Loki and Thor's gaze, you become paralyzed. Your blood pressure skyrocketed and your pulse rate surged tenfold as you felt a sinister presence creeping from behind you, but you kept staring at Loki.

The words "No fear" pass silently from his lips.

You close your eyes and try to slow your breathing down, but instead of Loki appearing when you reopen them, you're faced with a sight so terrifying that you can't even utter a sound.

No noise could escaped you, as what you see is so scary that it paralyses your ability to speak. You scream internally as you live a scene from a horror.

A pair of horrifyingly distorted creatures stand side by side. A hybrid of a black raven and a putrid human. You can feel their piercing gaze as it penetrates your whole being.

Whilst a lot of their form was that of a black bird, a raven. There is one more human like than the other. This one more grotesque in every way. He stepped closer to you with a conceited smile plastered across his face, exposing his pointed teeth.

When you heard him tapping his feet, you looked down to see huge, sharp talons, like those on a bird of prey. With their size and sharpness, he could easily tear into his victim's skin.

The other one which has no human face but an exact copy of a ravens head, stands back and observes from a distance.

When he talked, his foul breath brushed over your face, leaving a rancid stench. "You have been summoned by Odin, the one eyed All-Father. We are Odin's ravens, ordered to retrieve you"

"Why is she still here? You usually retrieve and deliver straight away" Thor questioned before quickly adding, "As she remains, I will take her direct to Asgard myself—you have my word"  Thor instructed firmly.

"Silence!" the more hideous raven snapped, "you know how this is done. You failed to collect, and now she goes with us" his eyes tore into your soul as he stared straight at you. "But, to answer your curious question," he continued, "she is still here for the simple fact that I am bored and because she belongs to....

....Loki."

Before turning his head to face Loki, he made sure you observed his wicked grin grow. The tormenting smile and the sadistic energy he exuded made your stomach clench up.

Your sight moved to Loki and immediately you noticed a shift in his demeanour. His eyes revealed a searing agony, as if he were recalling a painful memory.

The malicious bird took great joy in Loki's hopeless countenance, and he smirked viciously when he spotted it before continuing to converse.

"You see, it has been a long while since I have tormented Loki." he confesses, "and what better way to ease myself back into it than by torturing his lover."

He laughed evilly, his face lighting up at the sight of Loki's rapid dip in composure.

"You will not touch her," Loki growled.

"Oh, I will do more than touch her," he said with a sly grin that replaced his mad laugh. "Do you remember all the ways in which I hurt you as a child? Imagine that, but more: more pain, more fear, more torture... She will have all of me, and equally, I will have all of her."

"You cannot harm a direct retrieval!" Thor's voice filled the room, booming with authority.

The raven let out an annoyed breath while pinching the bridge of his nose, asking, "Why are you so obnoxiously loud? Is it an inherited defect in the Odinson lineage, or do you just enjoy the echo of your own voice?" he paused to give Thor a quizzical look before continuing, "Either way, do kindly shut your mouth, or you may find yourself without a tongue"

As the warning trickled like poison from the raven's lips, Thor forced a hard swallow. And now that Thor had been hushed, he resumed speaking without concern of further interruptions.

"If I had to choose a favourite subject, Loki, it would be you. How sweet it was to watch you suffer."

"Till you could no longer inflict pain upon me!" Loki roars boldly, his eyes refocusing on you.

"Yes, the day you overcame your fears was a sad day indeed, your pain didn't have quite the same scream to it. And torturing others just didn't compare," he said sadly, "but when my ears rang with a command to retrieve Loki's lover by order of Odin. The sweet taste of your suffering was back on the tip of my tongue, I could taste it once more."

The pain in Loki's eyes made sense now; he'd been dealing with this terrible creature ever since he was a boy. And hearing just a small fraction of the suffering that he faced growing up made your heart ache.

"Just taking your lover would have been wrong, Loki. I wanted you to be completely aware of my plans for her—my next casualty, who will provide me with sustenance in the form of her terror and anguish. I will relish knowing you think of me and her together, and that the knowledge causes you pain."

With despair in his eyes, Loki observed yours, knowing full well that you were frightened and that his own fears were shared by you. He looks at you with guilt. In his mind, everything that happened and was about to happen to you is his fault.

"I will go with you Munnin, take me instead!" Loki makes an impassioned appeal.

At last, the name of the villainous raven before you is revealed. Munnin. You already know that the mere mention of his name will give you nightmares.

Munnin abruptly whirled around and dove at Loki, flapping his massive black feathered wings. His claw-tipped arms tightly gripped Loki's throat.

"How dare you say my name, frost scum. Only those I deem worthy may call me by my name"

Razor sharp claws dug deeper into Loki's skin, drawing blood. Munnin only needs one wrong step from Loki and the claw will graze his jugular vein, causing instant death.

You scream in desperation, "Please, let him go!"

The entirety of Munnin's head twisted all the way around without moving his body. The unnatural creature looked like it had crawled straight from the depths of everyone's darkest nightmares. And when his face practically gleamed after hearing your outburst, you emitted a startled gasp of horror, realising that he loved the sound of your scream.

"I believe I have found a worthier subject, Loki, one whose cries provide even more pleasure than yours," he exclaimed, his eyes now displaying something other than sinister intent. They gleamed, as though he were mesmerised by you, and it made you physically sick. "Oh, we are so glad you failed Thor, aren't we glad Huggin?" He exclaimed, excited.

Munnin turned his head towards Huggin, the other half of the duo who was more bird-like. You assumed Huggin was mute as he had a beak rather than a human mouth, but to your shock he began to talk.

"So very glad dear Munnin, Odin will be pleased with our quick retrieval"

While still clamping down on Loki's throat, Munnin sighed with irritation.

"No Huggin! This will be no quick retrieval," Munnin snapped, "I anticipate a pit stop along the way, I am in the mood for some playtime." He directed his gaze back towards you, "How does that sound, inferior mortal?"

Huggin appeared to show disapproval by lowering his head. Yet he said nothing. It was obvious that Munnin was the established, dominant raven.

Munnin's yellow eyes blinked back at you, but you dared not speak, fearing that a quake in your voice would expose your trepidation.

"It's been a while since we have had such a pretty retrieval" the grotesque beast shot you a dirty smirk, "You're pretty, but your screams are beautiful."

As he uttered his words, his expression darkened even further. A forward tilt of the head indicated that he was whispering in Loki's ear. You turned your head to the side and tried to listen, but the volume was too low and you failed to pick up any sound.

"I wonder what she looks like.... without the skin."

A shudder ran down your spine at the sight of Loki's face, you were now relieved you hadn't overheard anything.

A foul odour flooded your nose just as the room went black, and you felt something huge wrap around you. Lightspeed movement brought on a wave of nausea, and you no longer detected the church, Loki, or Thor.

As the darkness continued, you began to feel a rising sense of panic. Until the eerie stillness was broken by the sound of a voice.

"You should not fear being alone in the dark, but what may lurk within it. Welcome to my nightmare, I think you are going to like it"