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Chapter 4

Adalwin was carried to her room clinging to her father’s shirt. She stirred when he set her down.

“Don’t leave,” she murmured.

“I have to go prepare,” Loki said.

“Just stay 5 more minutes,” Adalwin moaned groggily.

“Alright, 5 minutes, but that is all Alfhild,” Loki agreed. He couldn’t say no at this point.

He laid down next to her, and she summoned a small orb of light. She simply enjoyed him being there, safe, with her. She wished he didn’t have to leave.

She began to make shadow puppets on the ceiling. Loki watched her.

He made a dog, “You should be in bed.” It said.

“I won’t sleep well until you return,” her bunny said back.

“If you don’t tell you’re grandparents, I’ll give you a pouch of silver,” he bribed.

“Make it 20 and you have a deal,” she said. Loki laughed. “That’s my girl.” He grew silent. “I have to go now.”

“You better say goodbye tomorrow,” she said.

“I will,” Loki said. He kissed her forehead, extinguished the orb, and left the room.

In the middle of the night, after a horrible nightmare, Adalwin woke up screaming. She looked around the dark room, and quickly ran over to the secret passage. She was shaking so hard it was nearly impossible to move.

She ran down the passage, and immerged in her father’s chambers. He was asleep in his bed. She crossed the room, and settled on the edge of the bed and curled up. Loki was moaning in his sleep and kept turning so she moved so she was half on half off.

Loki was having a nightmare as well. He was in Jotunheim. The Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor lay dead at his feet, but he wasn’t happy about it. He was more focused on his daughter, screaming his name across a precarious ice bridge.

“Alfhild!” he cried. Laufey was behind her with his ice dagger.

“Papa!” She screamed. Her voice cut him like knives. It was filled with so much fear, “I’m coming!” he screamed back. She couldn’t hear him.

The ice bridge began to crumble and his Alfhild was stuck on the other side with that monster.

He tried to make something, anything to get to her, but when he looked up, everything else but him was moving fast. He couldn’t get the spell right, he was moving to slow, and then he heard a scream, Alfhild’s scream, and then a sickening sound.

He looked up to see his daughter, his precious girl, falling to the ground with an arc of scarlet following her.

“Alfhild!” He cried as he bolted awake. He sat there panting and shaking from the dream, then he felt something warm brush his arm.

He quickly turned to see his daughter curled by his side.

“Alfhild,” he said quickly picking her up to his embrace. “Please don’t be dead,” he thought.

He listened and heard steady breathing coming from her fragile body.

“Oh, thank Odin,” he sighed and then fell back to the bed. He pulled her close, “I’ll never leave you, never,” he whispered. “Never.”

The next morning, Adalwin woke up to see that her father was packing his knives, and running over everything again. She yawned and sat up. Loki turned to see her awake.

“I’ll be leaving soon Alfhild,” he said. “Practice your magic and I expect your studies to be done when I get back.”

He acted as if he were simply going away on a trading trip. As if he would return with trinkets instead of wounds.

“I’m coming with you,” she started.

“The Hel you are!” he said.

“To the rainbow bridge,” she finished.

“Alfhild,” Loki sighed. “I really don’t think that is a good idea. The Warriors may not trust you with this information, I don’t want them threatening you, and I think it best if you stay here.”

“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m coming with you. There are cloaking spells.”

“And they are way above your level,” Loki replied. “Fine, you can come. But keep your head low.”

She nodded and got up, quickly dressing, and followed her father to his horse. He mounted and swung her up behind him. She grabbed his waist and they set off.

The Warriors were less than pleased.

“Loki, we cannot trust your daughter with this information!” Thor growled. “She will blow our cover!”

“Adalwin is a capable young girl, and she will not tell,” Loki said. Adalwin again noticed him defending her. “She is the most trustworthy 7 year old you will ever meet.”

“I just wanted to say goodbye to my father,” she said keeping her head high. Loki looked at her in admiration.

“Strong little girl,” he thought.

“Thor, it’s fine,” Sif said.

Adalwin nodded to her and then watched as they approached Heimdall.

“You’re not dressed warmly enough,” he remarked.

Adalwin froze, “He really does see everything,” she thought.

Thor’s impatience got the best of him and he shushed Loki in his effort to get through.

“What’s the matter? Silver tongue turned to lead?” Volstagg teased as he passed.

Adalwin stiffened. She didn’t like the poke at her father.

“You should know, that my first duty is to protect this realm. If you’re return jeopardizes this, then I will not open the bridge again, and you will be stranded to your own demise.” Heimdall warned.

Adalwin grabbed Loki’s hand, “Don’t,” she said.

“I’ll be fine,” he whispered back. “Why don’t you just leave the bridge open?” Loki asked.

“The energy would tear Jotunheim apart,” Heimdall remarked. They took the risk and began to walk into the dome.

“This is where we part,” Loki said kneeling down to Adalwin’s level.

“Please, you don’t have to go,” she begged.

“Alfhild, I’m not like them, I won’t leave you. I am coming back.” Loki soothed.

“You won’t leave me?” she asked.

“Never,” he said kissing her head. He then walked into the dome with his friends and brother. The dome began to swirl and soon a bright beam of light shot into the sky.

“Please be safe,” she prayed.

The dome stopped and she ran in, only Heimdall remained.

“Heimdall?” she asked.

“Yes child?” he responded.

“Can you see him?” she asked.

“I can,” he nodded.

“Is he ok?”

“For now,” he responded then noticed her shudder, “Loki prides himself on not letting himself get harmed in battle. You have nothing to worry about.”
“But even a great warrior can only worry about himself,” she replied. “He’s surrounded my more people he must watch, and it will take one action for him to be hurt.”

“You are very wise for your age,” Heimdall remarked.

“I have a lot of time to think,” she replied.

Adalwin attempted to focus on her magic, but found her mind was to distracted to focus. It only reminded her of the missing party.

“I’ll go train, that will get rid of some of this unwanted energy,” she thought. She changed into her standard armor; she didn’t have any of her own style yet, and left to go to the training hollow. She walked there instead of rode; it helped her clear her mind.

She took a couple targets and went into a clearing to practice alone. She saw many mentors with their apprentices. She pulled out her knives, what few she had, and began to throw them at the target.

The first 2 sets were so off they were barely on the target. The next few she managed to get in the second inner ring. The next few she could only get around the target.

“Focus,” she told herself. “Concentrate. Father wouldn’t want your talents failing because of trauma. Now, hold the knife, loose, that’s a girl. Now pull back, and let loose.”

The knife got even closer to the center. Her father’s voice came into her head.

“Your grip was to hard. Loosen it a bit, there, now pull back and let loose.”

It got next to the center.

“Good girl. Now, throw!”

It landed in the center. So did the next few. She added in flips, spins, half circles, jumps. Soon her entire focus was on the target. Her father’s voice never left her mind.

Soon all of her nervous energy was out and she stood there panting and sweaty. Satisfied, she then walked home, her armor getting heavier and heavier. She took a nice cold bath, and then settled down for some meditation.

The sun was beginning to set when she felt something again. She looked out her window, and saw the Bifrost swirling and light returning to Asgard.

“He’s back!” she thought. She almost ran down, but saw the Allfather’s horse outside and thought against it.

“Uh oh,” she thought.

She saw Heimdall standing outside, and then she saw somebody being carried out.

She panicked before she realized it was Fandral. “What happened?” she thought. “Father are you ok?”

Then, she noticed that the Bifrost was beginning to move again. It was swirling and beginning to transport someone.

“No, Papa, please no,” she thought.

Something was thrown away, to where she didn’t know. She prayed her father was alright.

Once the Bifrost slowed down, two parties left it. One was the Allfather, and the other one she couldn’t tell. It was tall enough and lean enough to be her father, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

She sat there on her bed, to scared to get up and see what was going on. What if he was hurt? What should she do?

She simply sat there and did the most logical thing she could do: she waited. If he was hurt, then there was no point in running down there; the healers wouldn’t let her in.

She instead bid her time with her beloved guitar. She had been listening to her music and teaching herself how to play the songs. She had taught herself how to get through about half of her favorite song, which meant she basically knew the whole thing except for the bridge. That stupid bridge.

She wasn’t paying attention and was focused on strumming. She didn’t hear the door open behind her and soft footsteps enter. She started into another song.

“Please, don’t leave me,” she sang. “Please don’t leave me. I always say how I don’t need you but it’s always gonna come right back to this. Please, don’t leave me.” She missed the chord.

“Dammit!” she cursed. “Every time!”

Loki quietly sat down on the bed. He wanted to hear this.

“The sun’s setting Papa,” she said softly to herself. “Where are you?” She began again. “I always say how I don’t need you but it’s always gonna come right back to this. Please, don’t leave me. I forgot to say out loud, how beautiful you really are to me; I can’t be without. You’re my perfect little punching bag and I need you. I’m sorry.”

She felt tears begin to fall. “Please, please, don’t leave me.”

“I promised I wouldn’t didn’t I?” she heard a voice say behind her. She turned around so fast she fell off her place by the window.

“Alfhild!” Loki said alarmed at her fall. “Are you alright?”

“Papa?” she asked quickly getting back up. “You’re alive!” she ran at him and knocked him to the floor. “Papa! I missed you so much I thought you were gone! I was so worried you were hurt!”

“I am now,” Loki groaned softly. Adalwin noticed his pupils were very small considering the light.

“Papa,” she quickly said worriedly. Then she felt the bandages beneath his armor. “Papa, what happened?”

Loki groaned as he sat up. “What happened is I was knocked to the ground by a 7 year old. That’s just shameful.”

“Papa,” Adalwin said sternly. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, my Alfhild, I’m fine.” He pulled him and her up. She hugged him again this time, being careful of his bruises. He swooped her up and plopped her on the bed.

“Papa! You’ll hurt yourself!” she said.

“I’m fine Alfhild,” he chided.

“What happened?” she asked.

“We went to Jotunheim for answers. Laufey claimed that there were traitors in the house of Odin. He offered us a chance to escape and we were about to take it before Thor was insulted and attacked.”

Adalwin felt rage burn inside her. “That idiot!” she thought. Loki looked at her shocked. “I almost lost my father because of him! He nearly cost me my family!”

Loki noticed her rage, but decided to continue. “They attacked. We managed to fend them off. I took a couple hits but nothing major. Just some bruises on my chest and a little over use of magic. Nothing major.” He looked at Adalwin’s worried face. “Fandral got the worst. An ice shard through his left lung, nearly hitting his heart. Volstagg was grabbed by a Frost Giant and…”

Loki looked at his arm which Adalwin noticed the armor looked as though it had burned off. “And was severely burned. We all took a little damage. Then while we were in retreat, they summoned a creature that chased us. If it hadn’t have been for Thor, we most surly would have died from that encounter. We were cornered on the cliff and Heimdall wouldn’t open the Bifrost. At the last minute, while we were surrounded, father himself appeared. He silenced Thor and tried to undo the damage he did, but Laufey wouldn’t agree. Now the entire realm, both Jotunheim and Asgard are on the brink of war with each other.”

Adalwin listened with wide eyes before she broke into a wide grin. She hugged her father, “I’m glad you’re back.” She said happily. “Why did the bridge start back up once you arrived?” she asked suddenly.

Loki looked down and paused before he answered. “Thor…has been banished.” He stated simply.

“What?” she asked.

“Yes, for his actions. He broke the laws and we are lucky the rest of us didn’t suffer the same fate.

“Papa,” she whispered. What if her father had been banished? She would never see him again. Ever.

“What’s going to happen now?” She asked.

“I don’t know Alfhild,” he said pulling her close. “I don’t know.”

Adalwin buried her head into his neck as she hugged him. “At least most of my family is here,” she thought.

Description
Chapter 4

Adalwin was carried to her room clinging to her father’s shirt. She stirred when he set her down.

“Don’t leave,” she murmured.

“I have to go prepare,” Loki said.

“Just stay 5 more minutes,” Adalwin moaned groggily.

“Alright, 5 minutes, but that is all Alfhild,” Loki agreed. He couldn’t say no at this point.

He laid down next to her, and she summoned a small orb of light. She simply enjoyed him being there, safe, with her. She wished he didn’t have to leave.

She began to make shadow puppets on the ceiling. Loki watched her.

He made a dog, “You should be in bed.” It said.

“I won’t sleep well until you return,” her bunny said back.

“If you don’t tell you’re grandparents, I’ll give you a pouch of silver,” he bribed.

“Make it 20 and you have a deal,” she said. Loki laughed. “That’s my girl.” He grew silent. “I have to go now.”

“You better say goodbye tomorrow,” she said.

“I will,” Loki said. He kissed her forehead, extinguished the orb, and left the room.

In the middle of the night, after a horrible nightmare, Adalwin woke up screaming. She looked around the dark room, and quickly ran over to the secret passage. She was shaking so hard it was nearly impossible to move.

She ran down the passage, and immerged in her father’s chambers. He was asleep in his bed. She crossed the room, and settled on the edge of the bed and curled up. Loki was moaning in his sleep and kept turning so she moved so she was half on half off.

Loki was having a nightmare as well. He was in Jotunheim. The Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor lay dead at his feet, but he wasn’t happy about it. He was more focused on his daughter, screaming his name across a precarious ice bridge.

“Alfhild!” he cried. Laufey was behind her with his ice dagger.

“Papa!” She screamed. Her voice cut him like knives. It was filled with so much fear, “I’m coming!” he screamed back. She couldn’t hear him.

The ice bridge began to crumble and his Alfhild was stuck on the other side with that monster.

He tried to make something, anything to get to her, but when he looked up, everything else but him was moving fast. He couldn’t get the spell right, he was moving to slow, and then he heard a scream, Alfhild’s scream, and then a sickening sound.

He looked up to see his daughter, his precious girl, falling to the ground with an arc of scarlet following her.

“Alfhild!” He cried as he bolted awake. He sat there panting and shaking from the dream, then he felt something warm brush his arm.

He quickly turned to see his daughter curled by his side.

“Alfhild,” he said quickly picking her up to his embrace. “Please don’t be dead,” he thought.

He listened and heard steady breathing coming from her fragile body.

“Oh, thank Odin,” he sighed and then fell back to the bed. He pulled her close, “I’ll never leave you, never,” he whispered. “Never.”

The next morning, Adalwin woke up to see that her father was packing his knives, and running over everything again. She yawned and sat up. Loki turned to see her awake.

“I’ll be leaving soon Alfhild,” he said. “Practice your magic and I expect your studies to be done when I get back.”

He acted as if he were simply going away on a trading trip. As if he would return with trinkets instead of wounds.

“I’m coming with you,” she started.

“The Hel you are!” he said.

“To the rainbow bridge,” she finished.

“Alfhild,” Loki sighed. “I really don’t think that is a good idea. The Warriors may not trust you with this information, I don’t want them threatening you, and I think it best if you stay here.”

“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m coming with you. There are cloaking spells.”

“And they are way above your level,” Loki replied. “Fine, you can come. But keep your head low.”

She nodded and got up, quickly dressing, and followed her father to his horse. He mounted and swung her up behind him. She grabbed his waist and they set off.

The Warriors were less than pleased.

“Loki, we cannot trust your daughter with this information!” Thor growled. “She will blow our cover!”

“Adalwin is a capable young girl, and she will not tell,” Loki said. Adalwin again noticed him defending her. “She is the most trustworthy 7 year old you will ever meet.”

“I just wanted to say goodbye to my father,” she said keeping her head high. Loki looked at her in admiration.

“Strong little girl,” he thought.

“Thor, it’s fine,” Sif said.

Adalwin nodded to her and then watched as they approached Heimdall.

“You’re not dressed warmly enough,” he remarked.

Adalwin froze, “He really does see everything,” she thought.

Thor’s impatience got the best of him and he shushed Loki in his effort to get through.

“What’s the matter? Silver tongue turned to lead?” Volstagg teased as he passed.

Adalwin stiffened. She didn’t like the poke at her father.

“You should know, that my first duty is to protect this realm. If you’re return jeopardizes this, then I will not open the bridge again, and you will be stranded to your own demise.” Heimdall warned.

Adalwin grabbed Loki’s hand, “Don’t,” she said.

“I’ll be fine,” he whispered back. “Why don’t you just leave the bridge open?” Loki asked.

“The energy would tear Jotunheim apart,” Heimdall remarked. They took the risk and began to walk into the dome.

“This is where we part,” Loki said kneeling down to Adalwin’s level.

“Please, you don’t have to go,” she begged.

“Alfhild, I’m not like them, I won’t leave you. I am coming back.” Loki soothed.

“You won’t leave me?” she asked.

“Never,” he said kissing her head. He then walked into the dome with his friends and brother. The dome began to swirl and soon a bright beam of light shot into the sky.

“Please be safe,” she prayed.

The dome stopped and she ran in, only Heimdall remained.

“Heimdall?” she asked.

“Yes child?” he responded.

“Can you see him?” she asked.

“I can,” he nodded.

“Is he ok?”

“For now,” he responded then noticed her shudder, “Loki prides himself on not letting himself get harmed in battle. You have nothing to worry about.”
“But even a great warrior can only worry about himself,” she replied. “He’s surrounded my more people he must watch, and it will take one action for him to be hurt.”

“You are very wise for your age,” Heimdall remarked.

“I have a lot of time to think,” she replied.

Adalwin attempted to focus on her magic, but found her mind was to distracted to focus. It only reminded her of the missing party.

“I’ll go train, that will get rid of some of this unwanted energy,” she thought. She changed into her standard armor; she didn’t have any of her own style yet, and left to go to the training hollow. She walked there instead of rode; it helped her clear her mind.

She took a couple targets and went into a clearing to practice alone. She saw many mentors with their apprentices. She pulled out her knives, what few she had, and began to throw them at the target.

The first 2 sets were so off they were barely on the target. The next few she managed to get in the second inner ring. The next few she could only get around the target.

“Focus,” she told herself. “Concentrate. Father wouldn’t want your talents failing because of trauma. Now, hold the knife, loose, that’s a girl. Now pull back, and let loose.”

The knife got even closer to the center. Her father’s voice came into her head.

“Your grip was to hard. Loosen it a bit, there, now pull back and let loose.”

It got next to the center.

“Good girl. Now, throw!”

It landed in the center. So did the next few. She added in flips, spins, half circles, jumps. Soon her entire focus was on the target. Her father’s voice never left her mind.

Soon all of her nervous energy was out and she stood there panting and sweaty. Satisfied, she then walked home, her armor getting heavier and heavier. She took a nice cold bath, and then settled down for some meditation.

The sun was beginning to set when she felt something again. She looked out her window, and saw the Bifrost swirling and light returning to Asgard.

“He’s back!” she thought. She almost ran down, but saw the Allfather’s horse outside and thought against it.

“Uh oh,” she thought.

She saw Heimdall standing outside, and then she saw somebody being carried out.

She panicked before she realized it was Fandral. “What happened?” she thought. “Father are you ok?”

Then, she noticed that the Bifrost was beginning to move again. It was swirling and beginning to transport someone.

“No, Papa, please no,” she thought.

Something was thrown away, to where she didn’t know. She prayed her father was alright.

Once the Bifrost slowed down, two parties left it. One was the Allfather, and the other one she couldn’t tell. It was tall enough and lean enough to be her father, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

She sat there on her bed, to scared to get up and see what was going on. What if he was hurt? What should she do?

She simply sat there and did the most logical thing she could do: she waited. If he was hurt, then there was no point in running down there; the healers wouldn’t let her in.

She instead bid her time with her beloved guitar. She had been listening to her music and teaching herself how to play the songs. She had taught herself how to get through about half of her favorite song, which meant she basically knew the whole thing except for the bridge. That stupid bridge.

She wasn’t paying attention and was focused on strumming. She didn’t hear the door open behind her and soft footsteps enter. She started into another song.

“Please, don’t leave me,” she sang. “Please don’t leave me. I always say how I don’t need you but it’s always gonna come right back to this. Please, don’t leave me.” She missed the chord.

“Dammit!” she cursed. “Every time!”

Loki quietly sat down on the bed. He wanted to hear this.

“The sun’s setting Papa,” she said softly to herself. “Where are you?” She began again. “I always say how I don’t need you but it’s always gonna come right back to this. Please, don’t leave me. I forgot to say out loud, how beautiful you really are to me; I can’t be without. You’re my perfect little punching bag and I need you. I’m sorry.”

She felt tears begin to fall. “Please, please, don’t leave me.”

“I promised I wouldn’t didn’t I?” she heard a voice say behind her. She turned around so fast she fell off her place by the window.

“Alfhild!” Loki said alarmed at her fall. “Are you alright?”

“Papa?” she asked quickly getting back up. “You’re alive!” she ran at him and knocked him to the floor. “Papa! I missed you so much I thought you were gone! I was so worried you were hurt!”

“I am now,” Loki groaned softly. Adalwin noticed his pupils were very small considering the light.

“Papa,” she quickly said worriedly. Then she felt the bandages beneath his armor. “Papa, what happened?”

Loki groaned as he sat up. “What happened is I was knocked to the ground by a 7 year old. That’s just shameful.”

“Papa,” Adalwin said sternly. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, my Alfhild, I’m fine.” He pulled him and her up. She hugged him again this time, being careful of his bruises. He swooped her up and plopped her on the bed.

“Papa! You’ll hurt yourself!” she said.

“I’m fine Alfhild,” he chided.

“What happened?” she asked.

“We went to Jotunheim for answers. Laufey claimed that there were traitors in the house of Odin. He offered us a chance to escape and we were about to take it before Thor was insulted and attacked.”

Adalwin felt rage burn inside her. “That idiot!” she thought. Loki looked at her shocked. “I almost lost my father because of him! He nearly cost me my family!”

Loki noticed her rage, but decided to continue. “They attacked. We managed to fend them off. I took a couple hits but nothing major. Just some bruises on my chest and a little over use of magic. Nothing major.” He looked at Adalwin’s worried face. “Fandral got the worst. An ice shard through his left lung, nearly hitting his heart. Volstagg was grabbed by a Frost Giant and…”

Loki looked at his arm which Adalwin noticed the armor looked as though it had burned off. “And was severely burned. We all took a little damage. Then while we were in retreat, they summoned a creature that chased us. If it hadn’t have been for Thor, we most surly would have died from that encounter. We were cornered on the cliff and Heimdall wouldn’t open the Bifrost. At the last minute, while we were surrounded, father himself appeared. He silenced Thor and tried to undo the damage he did, but Laufey wouldn’t agree. Now the entire realm, both Jotunheim and Asgard are on the brink of war with each other.”

Adalwin listened with wide eyes before she broke into a wide grin. She hugged her father, “I’m glad you’re back.” She said happily. “Why did the bridge start back up once you arrived?” she asked suddenly.

Loki looked down and paused before he answered. “Thor…has been banished.” He stated simply.

“What?” she asked.

“Yes, for his actions. He broke the laws and we are lucky the rest of us didn’t suffer the same fate.

“Papa,” she whispered. What if her father had been banished? She would never see him again. Ever.

“What’s going to happen now?” She asked.

“I don’t know Alfhild,” he said pulling her close. “I don’t know.”

Adalwin buried her head into his neck as she hugged him. “At least most of my family is here,” she thought.