Loki stared at me, searching my eyes. He was at a loss for words and looked almost... scared.

"Brother, we have to go, now." Thor repeated and put a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki forcefully brushed Thor's hand off of him and straightened up. Thor sighed and gestured to me with his head. Loki scowled, but stepped to me and held me to him. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling safe.

"Heimdall, whenever you're ready." Thor called out.

A moment later, we were surrounded by bright colors as the bifrost shot us through space. I gasped at the beauty of the galaxy around me. The bright purple, pink, and blues contrasted against the black. There were so many stars. It was amazing. And, all too soon, it ended. We stepped onto the platform of the bifrost and I looked around at the gold dome before my eyes settled on a beautiful gatekeeper.

"Well, hello." I greeted with a smile. Loki's arms tightened around me in response.

"Welcome to Asgard." He greeted back. "Prince Thor, Prince Loki, welcome back." He bowed his head toward them in greeting. I stepped out of Loki's arms and turned to fully face Heimdall.

"Wow," I said as I looked into his eyes. "Your eyes are... gorgeous."

Gorgeous wasn't even the right word to begin to describe their beauty.

"Kitten..." Loki growled behind me.

"Hush, Mischief. I'm talking to the pretty gatekeeper." I teased and waved a dismissive hand at him. His arm went around my waist in an instant, pulling me back against him.

"Pick a number between ten and twenty." He spoke lowly in my ear. I froze, I might have pushed him a bit too far this time.

"Why?" I asked shakily.

"Ten and twenty." He repeated again, tightening his grip on my waist.

"Th- thirteen." I said back. He hummed dangerously in my ear.

"Then, thirteen is the amount of times I will have you cum before I finally allow you to rest." He told me. I almost choked on air and ascended right then and there. I did not expect Loki to be a pleasure dom. I'm not sure why that possibly never came to me, but it didn't.

"Too bad you'll be locked in a cell, all by your lonesome." I taunted.

"I am a very patient god." He responded and nipped at my ear. My cheeks flushed bright red. I sucked in a sharp breath and immediately regretted my decisions.

"Come on, brother. You are meant to face the Alfather. It is time to say goodbye." Thor told him. Loki clicked his tongue and looked at Thor with a death glare for interrupting. "You will also need to be in restraints." He said in an apologetic tone. Loki sighed through his nose and turned me around in his arms to face him. My face was still burning hot and he smirked when he saw how flustered I was.

"I will see you soon, darling." He said as he cupped my face and kissed me. It was one of those slow kisses that I loved. When he pulled back from me, I was pleasantly dazed. "Thor," he said and looked over my head to the god of thunder. "Do look after her. I would hate to have to kill you, if you allowed her harm." Loki said before looking back down at me and giving me another kiss. He then stepped away from me and toward his brother. "Oh, and keep Fandral away from her. I have no internal morals keeping me from killing him." He mentioned as Thor locked the cuffs on his wrists and ankles.

I looked across the rainbow bridge to see Asgardian guards marching toward us, Loki specifically. Loki looked back at me and smiled sadly. He was placing a lot of trust in me and I hoped I could pull it all off.

"Be good, Mischief." I called out as he was being escorted away.

"Never." He replied with a wink.

I watched as they walked him across the bridge and to a horse drawn prison wagon. I frowned as I watched him step into it and be carted away.

"He shall be fine, Sammee." Thor comforted with a hand on my shoulder.

"I know." I sighed. "I just hate that he has to deal with your father alone." I said sadly.

"Why don't I take you on a tour of Asgard while we wait for you to be called in front of the Alfather?" Thor asked jovially and started leading me toward the rainbow bridge. I brightened up at the thought of seeing Asgard, but before we could get too far, I turned to Heimdall.

"Bye, Heimdall. I'll come talk with you later." I waved goodbye and headed down the bridge with Thor.

"So, what would you like to see first?" He asked.

"Training grounds!" I said excitedly.

"Training grounds?" Thor laughed. "Haven't you been training enough as of late?" He asked and shook his head playfully. "Why don't I take you to see the markets first? Lady Sif and the Warriors Three are at the tavern celebrating our latest win." He told me. "I'd like you to meet them."

"Didn't Loki just tell you to keep me away from Fandral?" I asked with a brow raised.

"No, he said to keep Fandral away from you, not to keep you from him." He smirked playfully. "Besides, with that amulet adorning your neck, nobody will even think to approach you." I rolled my eyes with a smile and touched my necklace. Here, everyone would know about my relationship status. Everyone knew what the piece of jewelry represented. "If you still want to go to the training grounds after, I'm sure Lady Sif and the Warriors Three would love to accompany us for some fun." Thor said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I dropped the necklace back down to my neck and smiled at him.

"Sounds like a good plan." I nodded.

The markets were set up similarly to a high end flea market. Rows and rows of booths were lining the streets. I probably looked like a kid in a candy store with how my eyes lit up. I casually walked with Thor down the aisle of street venders. My hand was gently placed on his arm as he escorted me past the booths.

"You know," Thor started, "I've seen the change in him lately."

I furrowed my brows and hummed in question.

"Loki, he's acting more and more like the brother I used to know." Thor said.

"It's not his fault, you know." I told him after a moment of thought. "His trust was broken by someone he considered family. It scarred him, deeply." I sighed. "All I am trying to do is show him that he is worthy of so much more than Odin gives him credit for."

Thor looked down at me and pondered over what I said. We walked in a comfortable silence until we finally reached the tavern.

"Come!" Thor said. "There are some people waiting to meet you!"

When we walked into the tavern, I had to take a second for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. It was loud. People were laughing and talking loudly while drinking. The place was packed for it being the middle of the day.

"Thor!" A loud voice called out. "You're back! Did everything turn out well?"

I turned to the direction the voice was coming from and saw a very large man stand from his seat. His long red hair and beard went well with his large stature.

'Volstagg is larger than I expected,' I thought to myself as I looked over his form.

"Yes, yes, all is well." Thor assured. "There's actually someone here I'd like you to meet." He said excitedly and pushed me forward a bit, his hand on the small of my back. By now, the others were interested and got up to join their friend. My eyes caught on Hogun and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was not supposed to be here... strange. "This," Thor announced, "is Sammee, of Midgard."

"Uhm, hi." I said and smiled at them. "It's really nice to meet you." I put my hand out for Volstagg to shake, but he was quickly shoved out of the way by a certain blonde charmer.

"As it is you, Lady Sammee." Fandral grabbed my outstretched hand and bent down to kiss the back of my knuckles.

"Fandral," Thor said in a warning tone, "she is off limits to you." Fandral looked up to Thor, still bent over my hand, and raised an eyebrow at him. Fandral slowly released my hand and stood up straight.

"Are you afraid I might steal her from you, old friend?" He smirked.

"It is not I you would be stealing her from, but no. I am not afraid she will fall for your charms, dear Fandral." Thor responded. I stayed quiet and watched their interaction. It was very amusing.

Fandral took his eyes off Thor, smirk still on his face, and looked me over. When his eyes caught on the green gem, his smirk fell. His brow furrowed and he blinked in confusion.

"Loki is courting a mortal?" A new voice asked. I turned to see Lady Sif watching me. Her expression was guarded and she seemed cautious of me.

"Lady Sif," I smiled excitedly. "It's a pleasure to meet you! You're gorgeous." I blurred out. I bit my lower lip, to keep myself from saying anything else, and looked to the ground, my cheeks warming up again.

"Thank you, Lady Sammee, was it?" She asked in a curious tone. I looked back up to her and nodded with a small, shy smile. "I'm surprised that Loki would court anyone, let alone a mortal." She frowned.

"Sammee isn't just a regular mortal." Thor explained with a knowing smile. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three looked at Thor in confusion before looking back to me. "Go on," Thor encouraged, "show them what you can do."

"Uhm, are you sure?" I asked in a hushed whisper. "I haven't exactly tried to teleport since the Aether. What if I accidentally hurt someone?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He waved my concern off. I chuckled and shook my head before teleporting the beer mug, that Hogun was sipping from, into my hand with a flash of blue. The warriors stood in front of me, shocked, as I took a sip from the mug. Thor laughed loudly at his friends faces.

"What did I tell you? Not a mere mortal." Thor said proudly and patted my shoulder. "Oh, but I will be taking that. We do not want what happened last time you drank asgardian mead to happen again." He said while taking the mug from my hand.

"Tony basically made me drink half the bottle. A few sips won't hurt." I huffed and teleported it back into my hand.

"She has magic?" Lady Sif finally asked.

"No, it's not magic." I quickly told her. "It's just something I ended up being able to do. I'm still figuring it out, though." I smiled nervously. I was not exactly sure how to explain my teleportation abilities to other people when I couldn't even explain it to myself.

"Where did you and Loki meet?" Lady Sif asked me.

"Oh, Uhm, we fought each other during the battle of New York." I told her.

"You were on different sides during the battle?" Volstagg chimed in. I nodded.

"Yeah, fun times." I laughed.

"Fun?" Lady Sif scoffed. "Fighting Loki was fun?"

"We never actually fought to hurt each other, so it was more like our twisted way of flirting." I shifted on my feet and subconsciously touched my necklace.

"Odin's beard!" Fandral laughed. "They are perfect for each other."

"Sammee wanted me to show her to the training grounds. Would you like to accompany us? Maybe get in a few friendly matches before we are called before the Alfather?" Thor asked the warriors.

"Do you really believe she could fight us?" Lady Sif asked. I turned to her and lifted an annoyed brow.

"Challenge me and find out." I said flatly. I did want her to like me, but I'd be damned if I let her disrespect me. Lady Sif narrowed her eyes at the challenge.

"Alright, let's see what you are made of."

The six of us headed to the castle and to the private training grounds. I stared in awe at the architecture of the palace. It was absolutely beautiful. The training ground was a large patch of grass in the middle of an open courtyard. On one side of the courtyard, were stone seats carved into the wall. The seats were in rows, one after the other of gorgeous chiseled stone. On the other side of the courtyard, were pillars that lined the overhang of the palace walkway. To the side of the stone benches, was a wall of weapons.

"Do you use a weapon, Lady Sammee?" Hogun asked.

"Oh, just Sammee, please. And, yes! I use a short sword and any kind of throwing knife, or dagger." I told him. He nodded once and turned to grab me a weapon. He came back with a short sword that looked similar to a xiphos, a blade Greek soldiers used around 450 BC. The sword was around eighteen inches long and very well made. It had a sheath attached to a strap that I slipped over my head and one of my arms, so it hung across my back for easy access. Hogun then handed me a set of twin daggers. The daggers were beautifully crafted and a perfect reflection of the other. The blades were curved slightly with a stone in the middle of the hilt. One dagger had a pure white stone, the other a deep black stone. I turned the blades in my hands to get a better look. When the sun hit the white stone, it reflected blue. When the sun hit the black stone, it reflected red.

"Yin and Yang..." I mumbled to myself.

"What was that?" Hogun asked, having heard my mumbling.

"Uh, the daggers they are perfect opposites of each other. They balance each other. It made me think of the ancient Chinese principle of harmony and balance in the universe. Yin and Yang, push and pull, light and dark, good and bad." I explained. Hogun listened quietly and nodded thoughtfully.

"We have a very similar concept, Eldr mœta Íss." Hogun told me. "Or, in your language, fire," he flipped over the dark stoned dagger, so the it caught the light, making it reflect red. "Meets ice." He finished and flipped the white stoned dagger, making it reflect blue. I looked away from the blades in my hands and smiled up at Hogun. He gave me a warm smile in return.

"Sammee, do you think you are ready?" Thor called to me. I looked away from Hogun and over my shoulder at Thor.

"Yep!"

I walked over to where Thor was waiting for me in the courtyard. I was on one side of the clearing, and Sif was on the other.

"I see you have acquired your weapons." Thor said as I neared him.

"Yes," I agreed while sheathing the daggers, one on each hip. "I might just end up stealing these daggers from your armory." I joked. Thor laughed in return.

"Win your match and they are all yours." He told me and clapped me on the back. "Lady Sif is one of the strongest warriors I know. Don't let her pin you down. She has, however, never been up against someone of your... unique ability, so you have the advantage. Keep her on her toes." Thor said before he took his place on the sidelines and looked to Sif. Lady Sif gave him a nod, indicating that she, too, was good to go and held her sword at the ready.

"Alright you two, keep it friendly." Thor stated seconds before Sif came at me.

I reached back to unsheathe my short sword and managed to block an attack she aimed for my left shoulder. I couldn't win in a battle against her raw strength, so I teleported behind her and quickly fell to my knees when she spun, swiping her sword inches from my head. I jabbed my elbow up into her hand as it passed over me. Her grip loosened and she took a surprised step forward, so she didn't drop her sword. I teleported to her right and unsheathed one of the daggers to aid my sword.

While my sword blocked, my dagger went for the attack. Sif was made to twist away from my blade, with a grunt, and back away from me. I teleported behind her and kicked the back of her knee, so that she fell to the ground, kneeling. Instead of slow down, Lady Sif twisted her body and aimed her sword for my side. I blocked with my dagger and swung downward with my sword, knocking her blade from her hand. Sif reached up and grabbed my wrist in a tight grip. I looked from her hand to her face with wide eyes and she pulled me forward while simultaneously standing up. Without breaking her grip, her other hand came straight for my face. On instinct, I ducked. Nat would be proud. I teleported out of her reach, which allowed her to grab ahold of her sword again.

"You're good." She smiled determinedly while catching her breath. "Why don't you just teleport my sword out of my hands?" She asked as she circled me. I shrugged.

"I felt like that was cheating." I smiled back. With a loud cry, Sif jumped at me. I tried to block, but the force of her blow was too strong for me. As soon as I felt her blade cut into my shoulder, a powerful blast of red energy came from my body.

Sif was thrown hard into one of the pillars, and I was thrown to the ground.

"Sammee!" Thor shouted as he rushed to me. I groaned and propped myself up on my elbows.

"I should have expected that." I groaned.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked and fell to his knees to examine me.

"Yes, Thor. I'm fine." I waved off his worry. "It was just the Aether protecting itself." I explained.

"You're bleeding." He said and touched my shoulder. I hissed at the contact and looked down to my injured shoulder.

"Oh, would you look at that." I chuckled before looking over to Sif, who was starting to get up with the help of Fandral. "Are you ok, Lady Sif?" I asked. She gave me a nod and I sighed in relief.

"Come on, let's get you to the healers before Loki hears of this and comes for my head." Thor said, only semi-jokingly. I laughed and took his outstretched hand, so he could pull me to my feet.

Once we got to the healers quarters, the head healer, Eir, sat me on a table.

"You are going to need to remove this garment, so I may look at your wound." She explained while gesturing to my shirt. I simply nodded and did as she said. Thor cleared his throat and looked away from me.

"Thor, you've basically seen me naked. Stop blushing like a schoolgirl." I rolled my eyes at him. He had, after all, literally walked in on Loki and I before. Seeing me without a shirt should be nothing new. Eir raised a curious brow and looked between Thor, and I. The sword had cut into the top of my shoulder, almost cutting my bra strap in half. "You could make yourself useful and find me new clothes to wear." I told Thor, looking at my wound while Eir cleaned it.

"Excellent idea!" He said and walked to the door.

"Find something dark purple, if you can!" I called out to him. "I love being with Loki, but do not want to be know only because I am courting him. I am not his property. If you bring me something green, I will stab you."

"Noted, Sammee." Thor laughed and took his leave.

"You are courting the prince?" Eir finally spoke up. She was a tall woman with well defined cheekbones and thin lips. Her hair was twisted back into an Asgardian style and she wore a blue healers gown.

"I am." I responded curtly. "Does that bother you?" I asked. She remained quiet for a moment while healing my shoulder.

"No." She finally admitted. "I miss the kind boy he used to be." Her expression didn't give away what she was feeling as I studied her. "These last few decades have been... difficult for him." I nodded slowly, showing her that we were in agreement.

"He has been through a lot and will go through even more to find himself." I told her. Eir glanced up at me, taking her eyes off of my shoulder, and gave a single nod.

"You are done." She told me and stepped back. I thanked her and put my torn shirt back over my head.

"Could I ask a favor?" I asked her. She straightened up from cleaning her station and nodded for me to continue. "Could you use the soul forge to scan me?" The fact that my body wasn't reacting in the way Jane's had was bothering me.