Sighing, Loki runs his fingertip down the worn spine of the book Sigyn gave him. They'd left Asgard, the home which was not his home, and watched it burn along with Hela. His heart twisted at the thought, and he forces the emotion down. He loathes sentiment, but only because he hates himself for how weak it makes him feel. His family has been torn apart. His children are suffering or dead. Odin is gone. Asgard is no more.
There is nothing left for him.
No one left to love. No one left to disappoint. No one left to hurt him.
Except Anna.
He begged Sigyn to tell him everything, practically prostrating himself on the ground beneath her feet, for the barest hint of news about her whereabouts. Heimdall could not tell him, even should he wish to do so, and Loki could not feel her. The bond between them — ever present — grew colder with each passing hour. It left him feeling empty, angry, and alone.
A dangerous combination, to be sure.
He flips the book over in his hands, brushing an invisible speck of dust away from the familiar embossed cover. He's read the title countless times, and he could recite the stories within from heart even after all these years.
Frigga used to read to him from these very pages every night when he was a child. Again and again, he'd beg her to share with him the stories of their history — of what he believed to be his history — and he would fall asleep to the sound of her voice and the feeling of her hand stroking his hair. Even as he grew older and more independent, hardened by his poor relationship with Odin and his rivalry with his brother, still he clung to those stories.
Of Odin's father, Bor, and his grandfather Buri. Of the long lineage of Aesir from which he came, of which he prayed to prove himself worthy.
Of Iðunn's golden apples, which he would beg Frigga to see. They grew on a tree in the garden east of the Hall of Valhalla in Asgard, and he was forever fascinated by their power to grant Asgardians their youth, vigor, and near immortality.
He had hoped to share their bounty with Anna, to keep her with him for this lifetime and countless more, but fate is rarely so kind as to coincide with what is planned.
Asgard is gone, and — with it — Iðunn's apples.
A knock on the door disturbs him from his thoughts, and he drops the book on the bed before standing. The door swings open without hesitation, and Thor peeks his head inside the small chamber Loki commandeered for a brief respite from the rest of the Asgardians crowding the ship.
"Hiding, brother?" Thor smirks, stepping inside to shut the door behind him.
Loki lifts an eyebrow, "I am not."
"'Course you are," the blonde Asgardian replies.
He crosses the distance between them in a few quick steps and claps his adopted brother on the shoulder. With the patch over his eye, the resemblance between Thor and Odin is almost enough to make Loki squirm. Instead, he rolls his eyes at his brother's antics and turns to face the window.
They still haven't spoken of Odin's death, and Loki prayed they never would. He still didn't know how he felt about, so he certainly didn't wish to speak to Thor about the man whose attention he never seemed to be worthy of despite his best — and worst — efforts.
"Sigyn told me what has happened," Thor breaks the silence after a few moments. "About Anna."
Loki bites back a sarcastic remark. Of course, she could not hold her tongue, and now he would be saddled with his brutish brother's dimwitted attempts at camaraderie.
"I am sorry, Loki," he continues. "I...I cannot and will not try to understand how you feel, so I only wish you to know that I am here. If you need me, that is."
An unexpected lump forms in Loki's throat, and he swallows roughly. It seems even Thor is capable of growth, and the depth of it catches him by surprise.
"Thank you," he barely chokes out the words, dipping his head in gratitude.
Silence falls between them once more, and they both stare out into the cosmos. Stars glint at them, and Loki closes his eyes for a moment as he relishes the silence. It is in silence that he can almost hear her calling to him, her soul crying out for his own, and he frowns. As soon as he starts to think he can feel her, can find her, it stops, and his green eyes flash open.
His brow furrows, and he lets out a frustrated huff before glancing at his brother.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?" Loki asks, clasping his hands in front of him and staring back out the window.
"Yes, of course," Thor replies. "The people of Earth love me. I'm very popular."
Loki opens his mouth to speak and bites back a sarcastic comment.
"Let me rephrase that," he says instead. "Do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to Earth?"
"Probably not, to be honest," Thor replies before turning to face the window once more. "I wouldn't worry, brother. I feel like everything's going to work out fine."
Smirking at his brother's optimism, Loki refrains from responding only to be interrupted by the shadow of a large ship appearing in front of theirs. It dwarfs their own, a monstrosity of metal climbing higher in the stars, and his eyes widen in fear as he recognizes the craft.
It's him.
Thanos is here.
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Welcome back, folks. Did you miss me?
A few things I forgot to mention:
1) The Prelude was written from LOKI'S perspective, not Anna's. So, yeah. Go re-read that intro with him in mind. ;) 2) In fact, most of the book will be written from Loki's perspective. 3) This book will be much shorter than the other books in the series, but it will still pack quite the, erm, emotional punch.
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In the meantime, please don't spam me asking for updates. I'll update as often as I'm able, and it's much better to say, "Hey! I loved this! Can't wait for the next update!" versus asking when it's going to be, demanding it come soon, etc...etc...
If you want faster updates, go read my other books. Seriously. I can't tell you how frustrating it is when people tell me they love my Loki books but refuse to read + support SKIN DEEPor FOLLOWED. That tells me that you don't love MY Loki books, you just love Loki. Which I get. I love Loki too.
