I woke up with a burning sensation in my stomach. I jerked up from where I was sitting. I felt something warm drip from my mouth. I wiped my hand on my face to see blood.

"What?"

"Please forgive me." I looked up to see Loki, his eyes a cross between a stunning blue and a dazzling green.

"Loki?" He looked down, and my gaze quickly followed. There was a dagger embedded in my abdomen. Loki's hand was wrapped around the handle.

He pulled the dagger away, and I clenched my stomach as I fell to the ground. "Loki..."

******

I gasped for air as I woke from my nightmare. It took me a moment to remember where I was. I still had Loki's coat around me, but there was an odd weight around my stomach. I put my hand there and realized it was Loki's arm. My eyes widened from surprise. I carefully rolled over, awkwardly trying not to move his arm. I don't know why, but I didn't shove him away. Had it been any other person under any other circumstance I would have practically ran.

But this was somehow different. Once I rolled over, I saw Loki's face across from mine. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful. I didn't know what else to do so I let myself fall sleep again.

******

"Lilith," a voice softly cooed. "Come on, wake up." I opened my eyes to see Loki's adamantly green ones. "Good morning." I yawned but didn't sit up yet. "I hope you don't mind, er, this. If it bothers you, I assure you it will never happen again."

I noticed the sky was dark. Then I realized it wasn't the sky, but my wings were protectively wrapped around the both of us. I carefully pulled them back in.

"No," I said smiling. "It's fine. I thought it was nice." His cheeks grew red, but I didn't care. I rolled back over and scooted closer to Loki. His head was above the back of mine. I could hear him breathing rhythmically, and I felt as peaceful as he had looked. "Loki?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Whatever for?"

"Just, I don't know, being nice. I mean, I wasn't really expecting that. I wasn't really expecting any of this, though." He didn't say anything. "I've never had anyone vow to protect me before. Why did you?" For a moment, there was silence.

"I... I just... To be truthful, I don't really know. I suppose I feel like I owe it to you to keep you safe. After all, it's my fault you're here. But do not think for a second that I regret it, because I don't. Nor do I plan to."

"Thank you, Loki."

"I hate to do this, but we must get going."

"Where?"

"We must at least try to get back to the kingdom. In that direction, anyways."

"Can't you teleport?"

"Well, I'm still gaining my strength back from being in the cell. Healing your wings was draining. Once I get my full powers back, things like healing and teleporting with come with ease." I sat up and took off his jacket.

"Here, you'll probably want this back." He took it back almost reluctantly. I got up, and he did the same as he put his jacket on. He made sure that the fire was truly out before we left.

"Alright," he said. "We'd best be on our way."

******

It felt as if we had been walking for hours on end. "Loki, do you have any idea where we are?"

"None in the slightest." He looked up. "Will you search the sky again?"

"Yeah, but I don't know the land like you do."

"That's alright. Anything helps." I nodded before taking off. My wings were sore from being tucked in so long. I didn't see anything except for trees and something else.

"There's a trail!" I darted down faster than I realized. I saw Loki squinting at me as I plummeted towards the ground. I couldn't slow down now. He must have had the sun in his eyes because he kept squinting at me until his eyes widened, and I crashed into him. I pushed my head up to see that I was on top of him.

He groaned. He opened his eyes and met my gaze. It took us both a moment to process our position before I rolled off. I blushed out of embarrassment as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Sorry."

"What could have possibly caused you to be so reckless?" I easily forgot what just happened when he asked that.

"I saw something! A path! We must be getting close, right?" He stopped rubbing his head and smiled.

"Alright then, lead the way." I jumped up then helped him up. I practically dragged him as I ran through the woods. He stumbled a few times, but I didn't stop. I was focused on getting to the path.

After about ten minutes of sprinting we came to a stop.

"You have a lot of energy," Loki said, trying to catch his breath.

"There it is. Yes!" I jumped up and down in a fit of excitement.

"Calm down. We still have to make sure it's safe." I nodded as I squeezed my lips together in an attempt to keep quiet.

Loki summoned two daggers to his hands. The way he held them was similar to how I learned to. But his daggers perfectly fit the curve of his arms, like they were built to be his weapon and his weapon only.

He lurked towards the path, trying not to let the ground crunch beneath him. He motioned for me to follow. I probably should have put my Valkyrie uniform on, but it didn't come to mind at the moment.

"I think it's safe. For now." His stance eased but he didn't put away his weapons yet. "There could be bandits anywhere." He looked to me. "Have you any weapons with you?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I've got some daggers." His face filled with surprise.

"Really?" I nodded. "May I see them?"

"I'd have to magic myself into my full Valkyrie uniform. I don't know how to summon them alone."

"Well, perhaps I should teach you otherwise." I cocked my head. "You also might need a different battle outfit."

"Why? What's wrong with mine?"

"Nothing specifically, but since they're typically issued from Valhalla they might be able to track them somehow. It would be difficult, but not impossible."

"Oh. Then how do I get a different one?"

"I suppose since you're my Valkyrie now it's my responsibility. Any requests?" I shook my head. "Alright then, give me a moment." He held his hand to his chin in a classic thinking pose. "I think I've got it. Hold still."

He waved his hands and a green aura emanated from them. It was similar to flames, how magic was typically shown in drawings. He flicked his hand towards me and the light shot towards me. I would have tried to dodge it had he not told me to be still. The green flame-like light engulfed me, much like it had when I changed before.

"Wow," Loki said, his eyes wide. I looked down to see myself wearing a gorgeous outfit. I had on a protective top that fit more like a tank top. It fit well but was easy to move in. I had a green undershirt that covered half my arms, but my forearms were protected by gold armor that stopped at my elbows. The space between buckles let my new tattoo be seen. I also had a skirt, but thick pants beneath it with tall boots on my feet.

"This is cool." I looked back up Loki whose mouth was wide open. "Loki?" He blinked quickly and met my eyes.

"Sorry, you just... You look rather... stunning. But if you don't like it I can change it."

"Are you kidding? I love it!" He smiled softly.

"I took inspiration from the Valkyries of old. I just put my own spin on it. However, I couldn't put your daggers in, so you'll have to do that yourself."

"How?"

"Just imagine it happening. They should appear." I thought about my daggers filling the holsters like water in a cup. All of a sudden, they were just there. "May I see them?" I took one out and handed it to him. He ran his fingers along the side of the blade. He held it and the handle fit his hand perfectly. "Fascinating."

"You like them?"

"Like them? I think they're amazing."

"Really? You'll have to tell me about how great they are later. For now, we'd better get going." He nodded, and we began yet another long walk through the forest.