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'things to do', so she basked in her alone time. She wandered the castle, read books, and just relaxed.

She immensely enjoyed herself, but she could not shake that aching feeling. There was something in her head telling her to talk to Loki, even if he didn't feel the same way.

But, at this point, she knew he felt something. Loki treated everyone beneath him as a subordinate, but not her. He put her on a higher pedestal than others. She knew he saw greatness in her, and that was something. For a man who tried to seem incapable of love, he begged for it.

There was no doubt in Alex's mind that she had gone crazy. Wanting to stay in Asgard? She never thought she'd see the day. On the other hand, her life started changing the second she stepped foot into Stark Towers a year ago in Earth time.

Loki, on the other hand, was miserable. His growing fear had come true--he had feelings for the girl. He knew the second she displayed her powers for him that he would take a liking to her. Who could blame him, though? Every step she took emitted power. She had no doubt grown more confident since being in Asgard. She just needed the proper push to start developing into the woman she was meant to be.

He was never really one to express his feelings, as that was frowned upon with Odin. A true king, Odin taught them, didn't let the follies of emotions plague their minds. Kings are focused, not distracted. Loki wanted to be a king, but at what cost?

"Rowan," Alex spoke as the guard walked into her chamber at his designated time.

"Milady,"

"I'm going to go to the gardens, can you inform Loki if he asks?"

"Of course, milady."

She rolled her eyes at his incessant politeness, still smiling.

She quickly ate her porridge, throwing on whatever clothes she could find. She was excited to get outside after spending the morning tucked away in her chamber.

She could almost feel the sunlight as she neared the gardens. They were absolutely beautiful, plentifully planted with trees she knew were foreign to Earth. Some servants worked on the shrubs, and nodded respectfully to her. She walked back to the more private part of the garden where she and Loki played their game.

Oddly, though, she noticed something as she walked by.

The flowers seemed to die the second she passed them. She kneeled down, watching the soft pink bulbs slowly wilt.

"What," She whispered, her fingers softly touching them.

She just killed flowers on accident.

"Shit,"

She desperately tried to make the flower stand back up, but it simply fell limp. She furrowed her brows, wondering how she had drained the flower without even thinking about it.

She felt the warmth of the sun creep over her skin, making the hair on her arm stand up for a moment. It felt amazing, just sitting in it. Then, she realized. She hadn't grown tired at all. She sat back in shock, looking down at her hands.

The sun.

She glanced up at the sky, her eyes squinting. That must've been it! Yesterday when her and Loki trained, the sun was shining brightly, and she was able to gain her energy back before falling unconscious. She jumped up, a giant grin on her face. She reached out toward the shrub next to the flowers, and drained it.

She did flutter her eyes for a moment, fatigue washing over her. But, she didn't collapse.

She laughed out loud, feeling incredibly proud of her discovery. She felt an immediate need to find Loki and tell him, and see what he thought. On her high, she decided she would tell him how she felt. It was time he knew, and maybe, just maybe, he would tell her he felt the exact same way.

She raced through the gardens, the biggest smile on her face. She looked down the long corridor that still had yet to be fixed, and Loki wasn't in sight. Her next thought was her chambers, thinking he may have gone there right after returning.

Walking through the door, she was relieved to see Loki standing by the window.

"Loki, you'll never believe what I just figured out--"

"You need to pack your things."

He still faced the window, and she blinked in confusion, her smile still wide.

"Are we going somewhere?"

He turned to face her. "You're leaving."

Her face slowly fell as she processed his words. She tilted her head, looking over to the bed. The books were gone, and the vines were gone as well.

"What?" Her voice was soft.

"I guess you don't have things here, so you won't need to pack anything." His voice was its usual sarcastic tone.

"Where am I going?"

"I've been contacted. The Avengers were not in possession of my scepter, but an opposing group. They've contacted me, and are ready to make an exchange."

His voice echoed in her mind. An exchange. She was still just a ransom to him.

"You traded me," She spoke.

"I told you how imperative it was I get my scepter back."

Her words felt like a knife digging into her skin. After what they had been through, the screaming matches, the sacrifices....he pushed her way. No, he gave her away. Without a second thought, he discarded everything that had happened between them.

"They're waiting on the Bifrost." He spoke up again.

She looked at him, and the look in her eyes almost made Loki falter. She looked at him the same way she did when he first had her in a cell in the dungeon. And he hated that look.

"I can't believe you," Her voice shook.

"I can live with that."

She laughed with no trace of humor. "I want to say I'm surprised, but I don't think I can."

He furrowed his brows.

"You've put up some illusion that you've changed, but I see right through it. I can't believe I almost fell for it,"

He wanted to protest, but bit his tongue.

"You're still the same monster I saw in New York."

"I did what I had to," He raised his voice.

"No, you didn't have to do shit." Her voice was deadly calm. "I just thought--"

She stopped talking. There was no point in saying anything she felt now, for it was out the window. The hope she once saw was crushed.

He sneered, never looking away from her. "What made you think I cared for you?"

Her eyes fell to the floor at these words. She could feel her insides slowly churn, grief taking over her. She felt so incredibly stupid. How could she possibly believe someone so....evil, could change. And for her? She wasn't capable of being loved so much that someone could do so.

Suddenly, her head snapped up. Rage overtook her, and the light in the room flickered.

"What did you want once all this was through? Huh?!" She screamed, pushing her fists against his chest. "You knew eventually you'd get your scepter back. Then what was your plan? Give me back? Kill me? What?!"

"I don't know!" Loki roared.

She laughed again. "You don't know."

"I—"

"You took me, from my planet. My home. Because you wanted your toy back." Tears formed in her eyes. "You have no regard for anything but yourself. And that's your problem, Loki. Well, let me tell you this: you will never be happy on your own."

Her words stung like a slap on the face.

"Just take me to them." The bitterness in her voice hung in the air.

He opened his mouth, but slowly closed it.

He stepped forward, clasping bonds onto her wrists. She flinched at his cold touch, never looking away from his face. He, however, looked anywhere but her eyes. The shame he could clearly see was enough to make him sick. His body involuntarily led her out of the castle, and on the long, silent walk to the Bifrost.

Everything inside him screamed as he roughly handed her over to the two men.

"Your alliance is noted. You'll receive your prize shortly." One of them said simply, turning back toward the portal.

Alex turned her head back to him, tears stained on her cheeks.

"To think," She spit. "I saw hope in you."

If there was anything that could be said to break him, that was it. He watched as they stepped onto the Bifrost, and he watched as they disappeared before him.

He stood there for a whole hour, not moving a muscle.

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