"I have been there for you. Every.step.of.the.way. I've done everything for you. I've bled, I've cried, I've almost died for you. You asked me to come here, impress me with your marvelous ice structures and your fancy rugs and wines and then you just decide... Nah, I can't have anything to do with a person who actually cares about me. Who doesn't give a bloody DAMN if I have a crown or not. No, I'm just going to marry this complete stranger who probably is only showing me such love and affection because she's going to be queen! And Because her dad just happens to be a man of power.

The man I love would NEVER have yield so easily. YOu're the worst!" She yelled, grabbing her bag from Juno's hand. Juno had already packed them just in case. She turned to head for the door and quickly grabbed her chest, falling to the floor in pain.

"CERES!" Juno said.

Loki just stood there in silent, letting her yell at him, rant as his face remained unreadable. He didn't even look when Ceres cried out, "Take her home Juno" spoke the King evenly before vanishing in his green smoke.

Juno scooped Ceres up as she continued to grip her chest. "I've got you, just calm down... We're going home. Coco, Brutus. let's go."

"Juno... it hurts... my chest..."
"I know sweetie... I know..."

"It is done" Loki stated, having appeared back in his chambers. Amra was lounging on his bed.

She smiled, "Good. Now we can get to the matters in the hand."

Loki turned to look at her with a frown, "Does that mean you are going to call off your army then?"

"Of course my darling" Amra rose from the bed and circled around Loki, her fingers trailing across his shoulder, "Your midgardian pets will be safe for now. There is still however, the matter of our wedding."

"I have made arrangements for three months from now" Loki turned his head away from her.

Amra chuckled, "No, I think three days will be enough time to arrange it. Unless of course, you want all of Midgard to fall to ice."

"How did you find the portal there anyway?" Loki inquired.

Amra shrugged, "My father has contacts everywhere. You cannot hide these things from me," she whispered in his ear, "husband"

Ceres started screaming by the time Juno got her to the sledge, which would take them back to the portal. "Juno, stop. Please stop!" Juno stopped and set her down.

Juno pulled her coat open and looked at her gem, her veins were starting to turn black. "Gods, you can't travel like this..."

Ceres was beginning to sweat. "It's... ok... Now that I'm not moving."
"It's getting worst. Ceres, you have to fight this. You hear me?" Juno grabbed the sides of Ceres' face.
"I have been... for so long... but now I don't have what was keeping me going.... hope..." She hissed, tears rolling down her face.

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!" Juno yelled, placing her hands on Ceres chest and trying to give her some of her own magic.

Hearing the noise, Loki moved to the window to see what was happening but before he could do anything about it, Amra had her arms wrapped around him, "Let the spriglings take care of it" she whispered in his ear, "We have other things to attend to."

True enough, numerous spriglings bounded forth to try and help Ceres, they started their circle of healing magic, more and more coming to her aid as they could.

"Ceres! Please hold on."

Her skin began to turn blue and the ice around them began to bleed a dark purple.

"AHHHH!" She screamed before passing out.

Loki tried to pull away from Amra but her grip was firm, "Release me woman!" he demanded, "She could be dying!"

"She will die if she does not leave" Amra hissed, pinning Loki against the wall. She was rather strong.

The Springling pulled Juno away as they tried to help Ceres. The purple ice begining to crack here and there "Loki! LOki!" Juno yelled before teleporting to his room, she kicked the door down. "Loki, something's wrong with Ceres- Oh, I'm sorry was I interupping your fun time?"

Amra looked over at Juno, "Hm? Yes actually. Do you mind?"

Loki looked over Amra's shoulder at Juno, for once that impenetrable mask cracking slightly, "Juno, leave" he ordered, "Take Ceres and leave."

Down below there were several of Loki's guard watching the scene intently. They seemed terribly concerned with if she lived or not however.

"I can't. The more I move her the worst she gets. The Springlings seem to be the only thing keeping her going!"

"Loki" Amra gave him a look of warning.

"Yes, I get it" Loki hissed back at her, "And I'm sure I would be appreciative and impressed by your powers of manipulation were they not targeting me and endangering one of my friends." he grabbed her wrist and managed to force her off-which was a bit of a feat because she really was quite strong. Loki grabbed Juno's hand so that they would disappear from the room and back down to Ceres.

Upon their vanishing, a very irked looking Amra let out a growl and slammed her fist through the ice wall.

"B*tches be crazy?" Juno asked when they reappeared, pretty much guessing what was going on at this point.

The circumference of the circle of purple ice had increased to about 20 ft and more and more cracks were forming in the ice below. Ceres' twitched and rolled back and forth.

"You have no idea" Loki replied, walking up to Ceres. There were several spriglings passed out around her, having exhausted their healing abilities trying to help. Loki knelt by the goddess, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Ceres" he spoke gently, "Ceres wake up"

The dark purple circle seemed retreat upon Loki's touch but the sleeping beauty did not wake. Her skin was light blue and her lips that were once rosey red where now blue. Her skin so much colder than Loki remembered but she was still breathing.

"Loki, whatever you're doing keep going." Juno said.

Loki only looked confused, he wasn't sure what he was doing that helped so he merely stroked her hair, "Ceres, I swear if you make me wait for your next reincarnation before I get to explain what is going on..."
A few of the guards stepped forward and Loki shot them with a deadly glare, "Do not even consider it" he ordered.

"Oh I think they are considering" Amra stated as she stepped into view, "We had a deal Loki, are you going to break it?"

"She is dying" Loki snapped back at the woman.

"Well that is a midgardian for you" she shrugged, "They die. Is what they do."

"Not like this." the king replied.

"Let her go Loki" Amra demanded, "and we can still make this work. Perhaps if she gets back in time."

"She won't" he spoke through clenched teeth, lifting Ceres up in his arms. He let the blue fade from his skin, becoming a little bit warmer for her.

"You cannot rule Yodenheim without me" Amra reminded him.

"And without me, you do not have a legitimate claim to the throne" Loki headed for the doors, he had to get Ceres back to the fire.

"Stop him!" Amra snapped and a pair of Frost Giants stepped in Loki's way.

Loki looked up at them, "Move" he ordered.

They hesitated, glancing at each other before one started to shift out of the way. "Do not dare" Amra growled.

"I am your King." Loki reasoned

"I can have you and your families ruined" Amra countered, "For generations to come." That seemed to be the kicker for them.

A large blade appeared across Amra's throat, "You speak of Treason." Juno appeared on Amra's shoulders, one foot on each shoulder, her stycle wrapped tightly against the frost giant's neck. One wrong move and this so called bride to be would have no head for her veil.

"Loki is your king. You swore an oath to protect your king. If you betray your king and side yourselves with this icy harpy you will acting teason!.. Tell me won't it be nice to still HAVE a family to go home to?" Juno asked, a dead and serious tone to her voice. News of her slathering Frost Giants had not gone unrumored among the people.

Amra, disturbingly enough did not falter with Juno's blade at her throat, "Kill me if you like" she spoke dangerously, "but news of my death will spread quickly and then you will have my entire family to deal with" since she couldn't exactly make eye contact with Juno she looked to Loki, "You cannot rule all of Yodenheim without us."

Loki stared back at Amra and in that moment he knew what she said was true. Amra's family was as good as royalty on Yodenheim, her death would mean all our war across the land.

Juno looked at the two guards, "If you value your lives and those of your family, then I suggest you arrest this Frost Giant on the count of treason against the crown. Unless his highness would like to do something else?"

Ceres started to shiver, a clear sign she was still kicking.

Loki was frozen in place, torn between the two worlds that collided around him. Amra was the future of Yodenheim but Ceres was... another future. How could he possibly choose? How could one life possibly outweigh the other?

Thankfully the guards seemed to find something Juno said worth listening to, at least they stepped aside to let Loki pass and without a word the king stepped between them and back into the castle. He didn't stop until he was able to set Ceres down next to the roaring fire.

Ceres' colour began to fade back, it was a very light tint of blue when her eyes opened, "....No more cages...I'll be a good birdy..." She mumbled, her eyes unfocused.

"It's alright" Loki whispered to her, "you don't have to be... you can be free..."

A tear ran down the side of her face, her eyes looking about wildly, "But... my only hope left...walked away with the key..."

"I'm sorry" He lay down next to her, "I'm so sorry..."

"Mmm... It's warm. Owww." She rambled on, grabbing at her shirt and pulling on it showing some of her chest and the blackness in her veins seemed to be retreating. "It feels weird. Like a straw."