The Runaway Mother

Grace and Hope

A/N: Hello all! I hope you are enjoying! I'm going to try and finish this fan fic so that I don't leave anyone hanging. Feel free to vote and comment!  And shout out to MrsLaufeyson002 ! Thank you for your votes and comments! Alright! Onwards!

Thor walked down the hallway as he exited his study. The guards had just updated him on their last search. The Guard had been working tirelessly to locate the lost daughter of the youngest prince. Realm after realm had been turned completely upside down for the sake of any tiny trace of where she and her kidnapper had disappeared to. But even this patrol had produced no fruit.

Seth was still lost.

The silence in the palace halls had been deafening for three years. And it wasn't just for the lack of a bubbly little girl. Never before had an Asgardian monarch been kidnapped, the family had never been vulnerable like this before. That was a defeat worse than any battle, and it weighed heavily on the realm.

Thor found his way to the balcony, he didn't want to deliver the news of the latest hunt. Loki seemed worse each time he saw him. The prince had become quiet and reclusive. He hardly showed himself and it seemed like he barely ate. Each year seemed to expand the tear in his heart, leaving him more devastated and broken than before.

"No luck?" The soft and gentle voice of Lady Grace fell lightly on Thor's ears.
Thor looked at her and then at his hands.
Grace had become more prominent in Loki's life since that tragic night. She understood loss and seemed to be the only one who could keep him afloat at times.
"She will be missing three years tomorrow... I was hoping we would have her this time. But Lyna..." Thor's fist tightened, they should have killed that woman when they had the chance. "She's nine, nearly ten. Her life..." the heat in Thor's heart rose to his throat. Grace placed a hand on his shoulder. She didn't say a word, nothing she could say would make this easier.

"I can tell him if you like." She offered. She had taken it upon herself to hold this family up. She loved this realm and the royals had always been good to her.
Thor sighed and nodded. He couldn't face the news, let alone pass it on. Grace squeezed his shoulder as she headed for the door.
"Grace." Thor turned and smiled at the young woman before him. She was one of the kindest women he knew and he constantly felt blessed that she was caring for his brother.
She stopped and looked back at the prince, awaiting his message.
"Thank you."
With a smile and a bow she headed off.

"You are her father Loki, there is no better place for her to be than in your care." Frigga placed her hand over that of her son's. He looked down at the four year old asleep in his lap. She had been having nightmares for weeks now and he was starting to question whether or not he had what it took to care for her.
"She's everything to me mother. I don't care if I never sleep again... as long as she feels safe." Loki gently smoothed Seth's hair as she stirred slightly in her sleep. Seth had made him a gentler person, and this was something that his mother was ever so proud of.
"That's how I felt about you at her age."-

Loki's thoughts were disturbed by a knock on the door. His eyes refocused to the little rag doll in his hands. He smoothed down its dress with his thumbs and blinked as a tear fell and stained her face.

"Not now."

Loki's words were hollow and lifeless as he spoke, he didn't want the company of anyone right now. Not on the eve of his daughter's loss.
Loki looked a complete mess. His room was untidy and he hadn't changed clothes in days. Each year that passed made it harder and harder to wake, or breath, or live.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the stone cold wall behind him. There was nothing left for him to live for.
The door opened softly and Grace showed herself. She smiled sadly at the sight of her friend. She saw a sad and scared little boy in the man before her.
"The search party has returned, there were no new leads to her location. But they are making progress on being able to track her magic's signature." Grace strode into the room and opened the curtains, light shown into the room in rays as the sun illuminated the dust particles in the air. She opened the window and the birds could be heard singing in the garden.

How could birds be singing at a time like this.

Grace came over and sat beside the prince. His heart and mind were far off and his eyes seemed to be staring at nothing at all. She knew better than to say anything, there wasn't much to be said. There had been many a night when Loki had fallen apart in her presence, telling her of the pain in his heart.
Their bond had grown strong and he had even learned to make room in his broken heart for Grace. But there was nothing beyond friendship. Loki couldn't move on, and Grace was content just being with him and comforting him.
She slipped her arm around his, resting her head on his shoulder and looking at the doll he held in his hands. There was a long silence between them, the birds from outside being the only thing that filled it. After several minutes Loki seemed to come to and he took in a breath, as if he had been dead and now took in new life. His eyes fell back on the doll in his hands and a truth finally settled in his heart.

A broken scratchy voice finally cut through the silence, "I will never see her again."
Grace slipped her hand into his and squeezed it slightly. "Don't give up hope. Mourn all you need to but never say never. You will see her again, I'm sure of that." Grace lifted her head to watch Loki's expression carefully. She knew in her heart that they would find Seth, his daughter would be returned to him in time.

Loki looked at her in bewilderment, she always had hope, she was always ready to call him back to a place of hope, he hardly had the energy to move and yet she was always there supporting him, loving him and comforting him. "How can you know that?" He's eyes searched for truth in hers, desperate to find where her faith was rooted.

Grace smiled and cupped his face in her hand, "I can say that because I know that you will never give up on her." She stroked his cheek, trying to offer him some form of reassurance.
Loki looked back at the doll in his hand, "It's been three years, she's nine years old now, what if she's all grown up by the time we find her?" He refused to look back at Grace.

Grace hesitated but then turned herself to face him. She tilted his head back towards her. "You will still love her.." she stated simply. She studied Loki's eyes, reading his tattered soul and piercing his pain with the medicine of truth.
Loki listened to her words. Letting them sink into his soul. Tears blurred his vision as he realized where her faith came from.

Her faith was rooted in him.

Loki took in a deep and cleansing breath. "You have been there for me through all of this. I don't deserve your loyalty or your kindness."
With a firm shake of her head Grace spoke up. "You do. Yes you do. You are a loving father, a good monarch and a kind man." She continued to combat his lies as she saw him slowly working his way back to hope.

Loki slowly let his guard down and listened to her. He knew she was right and the hope made him feel closer to Seth. He offered her a broken smile and held her hands to his heart. "Thank you for keeping this beating."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Of course."