“Once, Mankind accepted a simple truth, that they were not alone in this Universe. Some worlds, Man believed to be home to their gods. Others they knew to fear. From a realm of cold and darkness came the Frost Giants, threatening to plunge the mortal world into a new ice age. But humanity would not face this threat alone. Our armies drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of their own world. The cost was great. In the end, their king fell. And the source of their power was taken from them,” Odin, the Allfather, gestured to the blue casket set before him.
The little boy with black hair and green eyes stared up at the man he knew as his father. “Do the Frost Giants still live?”
“They still live,” Odin affirmed, “but there is more.”
“More, father?” the little boy asked, green eyes wide.
“Yes.” The Allfather took a deep breath before he continued, “In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a Giant’s offspring...abandoned, suffering, left to die: Laufey’s son.”
Green eyes grew even wider. Fear crept into their emerald depths. “Laufey’s son?”
Odin nodded. It was then he knelt beside the boy, one large hand gentle on his shoulder. “That was when I brought you home.”
The boy shook his head, staggering back away from Odin’s touch. “But…but they’re monsters…” a sob lodged in the boy’s throat.
“ No, Loki…you are not a monster.” His hands reclaimed the boy’s shoulders. The boy’s tear filled gaze broke his heart. “You are my son.”
The boy threw his arms around Odin’s neck, clinging to him. His small body trembled as he struggled to control his sobs. He had to be strong, like his father…like Odin. He swallowed hard, taking a step back, and wiped the tears from his eyes. His lips quivered as he smiled. “You are my father,” he said softly.
Odin smiled. “And you are my son.” He patted the boys shoulder before he rose and walked through the great hall with the boy at his side. He continued, “With the last great war ended, we withdrew from the outer worlds and returned home to the realm eternal: Asgard. And here we remain as a beacon of hope, shining out across the stars. And though we have fallen into Man’s myths and legends, it was Asgard and its warriors that brought peace to the universe. But the day will come when you or your brother will have to defend that peace.”
“I’m ready, father!” Loki cried eagerly.
“You will one day, my son, and your brother will rule Asgard in my stead,” Odin said, nodding solemnly at the boy. “Together, you will be the greatest force of good the universe has ever known.”
Loki beamed at Odin. “Yes, father,” he agreed.
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“Have I done it right, mother?” Loki asked, unable to take his eyes off the small animal in his hands. Its long ears twitched as its big dark eyes watched him. He put it on the floor in front of him, and grinned as it hopped around him in a circle.
Frigga clapped her hands in delight. “Yes, Loki, you have done very well! I am so proud of you.” She pulled him close for a hug.
Grinning, he hugged her back. “I’m so glad!”
She pulled back to smile at him. “You learn so quickly!” Her hands were light on his shoulders. “You must be very careful, Loki, not to let the power control you. You must control it.” One gentle hand lightly cupped his cheek. “Do you understand?”
Loki shook his head. “No, mother…I’m sorry.”
Her smile was as gentle as her touch. “Don’t worry, Loki, I will teach you.”
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Loki stood on the balcony overlooking the empty training grounds, and watched the last of the day’s light fade. Tomorrow, he would finally be allowed to learn to fight. Thor, his brother – the blood child of Frigga and Odin – had already been allowed to train. He’d promised Loki that he would help him train. And he would train. He would become a powerful warrior so his brother could be King. Together they would keep the peace in the realms. Odin had said it would be so.
A shadow glided over the training ground, and Loki looked up to see Huginn flying high above the wall.
“He will be back,” Odin said, and Loki spun to find the Allfather standing behind him. “One day, he will not return, but that day is far off still.” He added the last when he saw Loki’s worried gaze following the raven. Odin moved to stand beside Loki. “Are you ready for tomorrow? Training will not be easy.”
“I know, father,” Loki replied, his eager gaze on the empty grounds once more. “Thor has promised to help me.”
“Thor has not been training long himself, but I think you will both do well.” Odin was looking in the direction that Huginn had flown, and could not see the play of emotions on the boy’s face: hope that he would do well so his father would be pleased and proud of him; fear that he would fail; happiness that Odin thought he would do well.
“Yes, father,” Loki said, turning his gaze in the same direction Huginn had gone, though he knew he had no hope to see as far or as well as Odin. “Thank you,” he added quietly.
Odin turned to smile at the boy, and lightly lay his hand on one small shoulder.
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Years later, both boys had grown into men. Over time, they had played together, fought together, and fought mock battles against each other. As he had grown, Loki had excelled at all he had been shown. He’d even bested Thor until Mjolnir had claimed him. After that, even Loki at his best couldn’t begin to compete with Thor at his worst.
Both Loki and Thor traveled across the nine realms, ensuring that peace reigned. Thor was crowned king of Asgard, and married Lady Sif. Loki, restless with his brother having been crowned, found himself spending less and less time in Asgard. Traveling across all the realms had lost its appeal, so Loki settled on one realm. Only Asgard would ever truly be home to him, despite him being of Jotunheim. The Frost Giants were as alien to him as he was to them. No, there was another place that caught his attention: Midgard.
Sarah Ashworth hurried down the street with the collar of her jacket pulled up. She really didn’t mind the rain, but this rain was buffeted by a chill breeze that tugged at her hair, sending it billowing back over her shoulders. She sighed, turning the umbrella so it blocked as much of the wind and rain as possible. It could be worse, she thought, it could be snow.
It was April, so winter breezes should be over, however, the breeze that tried to tug her umbrella from her hand held that wintry bite. She blinked furiously as rain blew into her eyes. A moment later, she walked into a tall hard something, and stumbled back a step.
“Are you all right?” an oddly accented male voice asked as strong hands caught her shoulders, steadying her.
She wiped one hand over her eyes, and had the insane urge to do so again. Sarah knew she was tall for a woman, but she had to look up at him. That wasn’t something she did very often. But when she did look up, she found herself lost in eyes the color of spring grass. “I…what?”
He smiled, and her heart fluttered in her chest. “Are you all right?” he repeated, “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. “I’m sorry…it was my fault; my umbrella…” On cue, the breeze caught the umbrella, flipping it inside out before ripping it from her hand. In mute disbelief, she watched the umbrella spiral to a stop a few feet away.
“…has apparently decided to run away?” he finished for her after watching the umbrella’s antics.
“Apparently,” she chuckled, grinning at him. Raindrops slid into her eyes, and she brushed them away irritably, and blushed again when she saw those green eyes of his watching her.
“Here,” he said, and proffered his own umbrella, covering them both from the rain.
Her hand covered his where it held the handle, and she smiled when he seemed disconcerted. “Why don’t we walk together” she asked, “and share the umbrella?”
He smiled back at her, and suddenly she didn’t mind the rain much at all. “I would like that,” he said in that oddly accented voice.
As they started off into the rain, she said, “My name’s Sarah. What’s yours?”
He looked uncomfortable for a moment. “Loki,” he said softly, his voice barely audible above the wind, “I’m Loki.”
The name tickled something in her memory, but she couldn’t remember what it was. She smiled warmly at him. “Interesting name,” she said.
“Not many think so,” he replied. “I’m really no one special.”
“I would have to disagree,” Sarah argued, following his cue and deftly avoiding a puddle. “I can’t think of many people who would share their umbrella with a stranger.”
“Ah, but I’m sure many a man would share his umbrella with a beautiful woman on a rainy day.” His voice was light, but she couldn’t miss the way his face had tightened.
You think I’m beautiful, she wanted to say, but couldn’t bring voice to the words. Blushing, she walked beside him, watching him. He didn’t seem nervous, she thought, but those eyes of his kept glancing around, almost as if he were expecting an ambush. The breeze tangled chill fingers in his shoulder length black hair, sprinkling it occasionally with droplets of rain that managed to welcome cover of the umbrella. He favored black, she noted: black boots, black jeans, black leather jacket…the color suited him somehow. She could see him using the dark colors to blend easily into the shadows.
Which is probably why she’d walked into him. Between the twilight and the rain, she hadn’t seen him.
“Is that where you’re headed?” Loki asked, shaking her out of her thoughts.
She looked up to see him pointing at the library at the corner. It was a beacon of light in the dreary rain.
She nodded. “I have some research to do, and it’s the best place.”
They stopped just inside the doorway. He closed the umbrella and handed it to her. “Here,” he said, “you should keep this since yours abandoned you.” His lips twitched.
“But it’s yours…” she tried to argue.
“Was mine,” he challenged, “and now it’s yours.” Loki’s smile was warm. “It would give me pleasure if you would keep it.”
What an odd way of speaking, she thought. “All right,” Sarah agreed, “but you have to give me a chance to thank you. Let me buy you a coffee sometime? Say an hour or so?”
“Coffee?” he sounded confused.
“Or…or a drink then?” she was reluctant to let him go. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something about him appealed to her. It wasn’t just how drop dead gorgeous he was. There seemed almost an…”old world” charm to him.
His expression cleared. “Oh, a drink…I would like that very much.”
“Excellent!” she said, grinning. “In an hour then?”
“Will that give you enough time for your research?” Loki asked.
Sarah didn’t really care much about her research at the moment. She just wanted to spend more time with him. Research could wait a bit. “More than enough,” she said. “Meet me here in an hour?”
He nodded, smiling. “See you then,” he said before turning and headed back out into the rain.
She watched him go with no little reluctance. An hour, she silently groaned. It was going to be the longest hour of her life.
Loki left the library and waited in the dark just outside. Using his magic, he cloaked himself so no one would notice him. The rain didn’t bother him, not with his collar pulled up so the rain wouldn’t slide down his neck.
He was curious about the Midgardian female. He’d seen her hurrying through the rain, noticing her struggles with her umbrella, and something had shifted inside him. He wanted to know more of her. His lips twitched as he recalled the look on her face when the wind had taken her umbrella.
He didn’t miss the way she’d looked at him. He’d seen that look many times on Asgard. Except there, they had only wanted Thor’s little brother. This female…Sarah…seemed different.
He leaned against the wall, kept his gaze on the front door of the library, and waited.