Bonds

Jack laughed at the local wind's attempt to remove him from the air. This was fun! The winds back home hardly ever agreed to such horseplay.

This place was amazing! Nearly everything glittered, just as his own snow did in the sunlight. The buildings and pathways were expansive and open, making plenty of space for flying. He also saw lots of spaces that would make great battlefields in a snowball fight. Strange that he didn't see much plant life though, he must have been in the middle of a city.

Jack decided to head for the most impressive looking place first. He'd never believed in saving the best for last.

The winter spirit alighted onto a high balcony in the glimmering palace. Well, he tried to anyway. The wind finally managed to shake him just as he made to land, and he did a face plant onto the balcony's floor.

Undeterred by the painful landing, Jack sprang back up and waltzed through the doors in front of him.

The room was bigger than most houses Jack had seen. There were numerous racks and shelves along the wall, and they were stacked with various weapons and armor. The interior walls weren't as shiny as the outside walls, though the gray stone still had a bit of a shimmer to it. There was a large but empty hearth on his left, with a luxurious red and silver rug spread out in front of it. Just beyond the hearth was a set of double doors with smooth curving designs etched into them. Opposite the fireplace was probably the biggest bed he'd ever seen. The bed posts were tall and thick, and the carvings on them made him think of how the girls in his village liked to braid each others hair. The covers were in a twisted pile, and a bright red cloak had been thrown over it haphazardly. There was also a silvery winged helmet resting a top one of the bed posts.

But what most drew his attention the most was the hammer resting on the ground next to the messy bed.

It wasn't just the size of the hammer that intrigued him. Nor was it the find craftsmanship, though both were very impressive. Jack could detect some kind of magical energy radiating from it. It wasn't like the wave of energy he felt when Loki cast a spell, but it was still familiar. Honestly, it made him think of the feeling he'd gotten when he picked up his staff for the first time. He still felt an echo of that each time he held is staff today.

Curious about the similarity, Jack moved closer and knelt beside the hammer. Resting his staff across his lap; Jack reached out and ran a hand across the intertwining symbols on the hammer's edges, then across it's thick handle. The energy seemed to increase slightly with physical contact, though it didn't comfort him the way holding his staff did. Curiosity mounting, he grasped the handle of the hammer with both hands and pulled up.

The hammer didn't move.

Frowning, Jack adjusted his grip and threw all his strength into yanking the hammer up. His muscles strained, and his limbs began to shake. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and released his grip with a huff. The hammer hadn't budged at all.

“How is this thing so heavy?” Jack groaned out loud, still panting slightly. It was ridiculous, he was thin be he wasn't weak!

Footsteps sounded behind Jack. He spun around, crouching with his staff at the ready, only to be met with a haggard looking Loki.
The god of mischief had just burst in from the hallway door, and halted when he noticed what Jack had been kneeling by. Recognizing his friend, Jack dropped the defensive stance and grinned.

“Hey Loki, I was wondering when you'd catch up.”

“What are you doing in here? Get away from that!” Loki strode forward and pulled Jack up by his arm, away from the hammer. If Thor came in and saw Jack trying to lift his precious Mjolnir...

“Oh come on Loki! I thought you were supposed to be the god of mischief. Lighten up already! I didn't break anything.”

“Yet.” Loki muttered “Jack you don't understand what-” A booming laugh from the corridor cut Loki off. His eyes widened in recognition. His brother truly had the worst timing.

“We have to go.” Loki grabbed a startled Jack by the shoulders. He quickly imagined a flame consuming his anxieties, and teleported.

Being teleported was not the same as traveling through the bifrost. Jack had felt kind of like he was flying when he'd hitch hiked with Loki, but this was different. It was similar to stretching after having been still for a long time. Muscles trembling slightly, vision dimming, footing suddenly unsteady. It didn't take long, but the ice child was still very grateful when their new location solidified around them.

"Ugh...that was weird. How do you ever get used to that?" Jack asked, swaying slightly from disorientation. It was a strange experience for one who was normally so balanced.

"It's not that bad." Loki replied dismissively. His eyes swept across the slightly duller corridor they were now in, routes and plans running through his mind a mile a minute.

"Where are we anyway?" Jack asked, trailing after Loki when he started heading down a passage to their right. He didn't like this place much compared to all the rest he had seen. The walls were all closed in and the stone walls were darkly colored. It made him feel a bit claustrophobic.

"In the lower levels of the palace. Most of the rooms are used for storage, so it tends to be less crowded. We'll have a better chance of sneaking out of here if we use one of these exits."

"You still want me to leave? Why are you so set against me being here?" Jack whined. Though his tone was still teasing the boy really was confused, and a little hurt. He shared nearly everything about his home world with his friend, introducing him to his favorite places and even a few spirits. Okay, so the 'introductions' had mostly been pranks, but that was beside the point. Couldn't he even see a little bit of Loki's home? Did Loki not want his friends or family to know about him? Was he ashamed of admitting he spent time with Jack?

"You don't understand how strict father can be Jack. If he finds out your here and is upset about it he could ban me from visiting Midgard for years, or decades."

"Decades?" Jack repeated quietly. He didn't like the thought of that. Loki sighed.

"Maybe when things between Asgaurd and other worlds become less tense visitors will be allowed in, we just can't have you caught in the palace. Especially now, please Jack."

"Alright." Jack finally conceded.

Loki lead the way, glancing back every half a minute to make sure Jack was still following. Each time the Asgardian did this the boy would give him a look that was a little too innocent. Loki rolled his eyes, and the boy wondered why Loki didn't trust him in the palace.

Still, Jack stayed close by. At least he was trying to stay serious now. They had to duck into store rooms to avoid guards several times, but they finally neared the exit.
This entry point saw very little use. Only those who lived and worked in the palace even knew of its existence. It only had one guard stationed at it. While relations with the other realms were not currently good it was not to the point that a full guard needed to be placed at an entrance so few knew of.

“Now Jack,” Loki whispered as he watched the door and guard, “here's the plan.” The God of Mischief launched into an explanation for how he would distract the guard and what signal he would use to tell Jack to make a break for the door.

But Jack didn't here any of it. He suddenly felt the presence of something, a something which he had only felt brushes of as they made their way here. It was deep, ancient, powerful, and cold. It pulled seductively at his own winter power, and before he really knew what he was doing he was drifting off down the hallway toward its source. By the time Loki finished talking and turned to see what Jack thought of the plan, the boy was already gone.

Jack barely registered the fact that he had slipped away from Loki. The temptation of this strange power, combined with his own natural curiosity, seemed to override his normal thought processes. After a few minutes he found the room that the ancient power was radiating from, and noticed the presence of a pair of guards. With a small burst of power Jack summoned enough air to quickly sweep him up to the ceiling, where he clung to the deep green rafters like they were monkey bars. Apparently it was only the major winds that had a problem with him.

He watched the guards, trying to think of some way to sneak into the room. He didn't think about the consequences of being caught; all he could think about was finding the source of the cold energy that was pulling on him. He had concocted a risky plan for getting in, which involved an ice slide, strobe lights, and plenty of screaming, but was presented with a better option before he had a chance to enact it.

Two new guards approached the current ones, apparently the shift was done. As the new guards came over Jack moved along the rafters until he was right above the double door. The four men started to talk and joke, moving away from the door slightly to stand in the middle of the hallway. Jack saw his chance. With a grace and silence that only a century old elemental could posses, Jack dropped to the floor. The boy could have sworn a guard's eyes passed over his position, but nothing happened. Was it possible that some Asgardians couldn't see him either? Hurt and insecurity surged through him, but was quickly pushed aside by the ancient coldness tugging at his being.

With slow measured movements, Jack turned and eased open the door. As he slipped in, he used the air to make the door drift silently shut. He heard one of the guards comment on feeling a draft before it closed all the way. The frost child turned around, and was immediately enthralled.

After a short flight of stairs the room was almost like a small hallway, with the same curving patterns he'd seen in other parts of the palace. There was fire blazing on either side of the steps, but this did not bother Jack. His focus was completely encompassed by what was sitting on the stone pedestal at the very end of the hall.

It was nearly a cube, but the top and bottom were a bit too long. Silvery gray metal covered the edges, curving inward on the sides and coming to points at the corners. The rest of the artifact looked like it was made of cracking ice, the fissures reaching for and circling around what lay inside. A brilliant white light pulsed from its very center. It made entrancing blue patterns dance inside the ice like box.

Jack couldn't help himself. Within a moment he was standing before the pedestal, eyes reflecting the artifacts light. He'd never felt anything like this before. It wasn't like the power of his staff, which was like an extension of himself. This was definitely an external source, yet it still called to something buried within his very being. Absentmindedly, he propped his staff against the wall. Then he reached out, grasped the artifact's sides, and lifted it up.

It wasn't light, nor was it very heavy. The weight felt just right in his hands. With the contact established, it was like a connection was made between him and the light inside. His own powers now called back to the tantalizing, powerful light. He felt energy building between them. His skin started to glow. The temperature in the room plummeted. Wind rushed through the room, pulling at his hair and clothes. His staff clattered over. He felt like he was about to burst from the increasing pressure.

Then suddenly it was gone.

A wave of winter magic blasted out from between them. The artifact fell to the floor, and Jack was thrown all the way down the hall and onto the steps.

It took a moment for him to get up from his sprawled position on the steps. He looked around in a daze, and his mouth fell open. Every single surface was covered in a thick layer of swirling blue ice. Even the fire seemed to be frozen, with the ice on the torch stands in the shape of flickering flames. It was amazing, beautiful and confusing all at once. What was that box thing? What just happened?

Before Jack could give it another thought, the alarm sounded.