╟╫╫╫╫╢

I stepped out of my room, wearing a new, dry dress. My face was still a little flushed from the embarrassing walk from the port to my room, as servants whispered and tried to hold back their laughter at seeing Loki and I soaked from head to foot. I was worried about the rumors that might circulate as to why I had been with the prince, but tried to shake the thoughts from my head. It was pointless to worry about it now.

I worked my way through the palace, wandering absently through the halls. I didn't really know what I was looking for but I was bored, and anything was better than just sitting in my room waiting around for Odin to find some answers.

"Miss?" I called out, pausing in my tracks as a servant woman came into view, strolling down the hall.

She turned and smiled, her brown eyes crinkling at the sides.

"Do you happen to know where Thor is?" I asked her.

He'd seemed quite nice, unlike his mischievous brother, and he'd offered me his company yesterday evening. Hopefully, he'd hold to that promise.

"Well, it's a ways past noon, so I'd guess the training yard most likely," she responded, "I can take you there if you'd like."

"That would be great, thank you," I smiled at her, extending my hand, "My name is Alivia."

"I'm Bodil," she took my hand, before turning back the way she'd been walking, "Right this way."

I nodded, falling into step beside her. We descended some more stairs and emerged out onto a ground-level platform overlooking a vast expanse of grassy field. Dozens of soldiers occupied the field, trading blows with their weapons with masterful accuracy. My mouth fell open and I gaped.

"They're amazing," I marvelled.

"As they ought to be," Bodil responded, "They've had several hundred years to practice."

My eyes swept over the field and came to rest on Thor, who was sparring with a young man who seemed oddly familiar for some reason.

"Oh, there's Thor now," Bodil pointed to him, "And it appears he's practicing with Bersi. That's my twin brother."

Now that she'd pointed it out I realized that's where the air of familiarity was coming from. Bersi, tall and with deep brown skin, tight black coils, and round, dark eyes, was Bodil's mirror image.

We began to wend through the training soldiers, making our way toward Thor and Bersi.

"Alivia," Thor smiled, dropping his blade and opening his arms wide, "You've come to see me?"

"I didn't want to waste away up in my room waiting on answers that might never come."

"Have faith, my friend, my father is a capable man," Thor answered brightly, "And if the rumors hold true, you're keeping yourself quite busy with my brother."

He chuckled.

"So you heard about that already, did you?" I cringed.

"Servants talk, that's something you'll learn quickly during your stay in Asgard."

"Loki was just giving me a tour of the place since I was too tired for Sigrid to do it last night," I explained, "We had sort of an accident by the water and well-"

"Relax," Thor waved his hand, "No need to explain anything to me. I know my brother is a trickster, so I wasn't at all surprised to hear of what happened."

I nodded, some of the heat in my face fading a little.

"So, how do you find you like the palace?" Bersi asked me.

"Ah, yes, how rude of me," Thor shook his head, "Alivia this is my friend Bersi, Bersi, Alivia."

"I know, Bodil told me," I nodded, "Nice to meet you. And the palace, well I've never seen anything like it. It's beautiful. And this..." I gestured at the rest of the field, "You're all such talented fighters. It's incredible."

"Quite so," Thor nodded, "Do you wield a blade?"

"No," I shook my head, chuckling, "That isn't a skill you'll find that most Midgardians have."

"Well, you aren't Midgardian," Thor responded, "At least not fully. Would you like to learn?"

"Really?" I blinked, baffled.

"Of course," he nodded, "In Asgard, it is tradition that everyone knows how to wield a sword. Even the women and servants."

I turned to Bodil.

"You know how?"

She nodded, a proud smile spreading across her face. I turned back to Thor.

"I'd love to learn, if you'd teach me."

"Excellent, Bodil, if you would fetch her a blade, then we can begin," Thor asked politely, and Bodil bowed away, hastening to fetch me a sword.

"Exceptional work today, Bersi," Thor complimented his friend, "You're dismissed for the day."

Bersi smiled, bowing away before weaving through the fighters and back into the palace.

I took the sword offered to me by Bodil, and the blade immediately fell to the ground, my grip on the hilt not anticipating the weight of the weapon.

"Perhaps start with a solid, two-hand grip," Thor suggested.

I listened, adjusting my hands and lifting the blade a little higher.

"Good," he smiled, lifting his sword, "Now follow after me."

I began to mirror his actions as he swapped positions, moving from his left side to his right side and switching up his feet. I bumbled around at first, failing miserably, but within an hour I felt like I was really starting to get a grip on the sport, and was mirroring Thor's moves without a hitch.

"You're doing wonderfully," he cheered, dropping his blade, "If we make this a regular thing, you'll be fit to join our ranks before you leave here."

"You think so?" I asked, my smile widening, "And you'd be willing to make this a regular thing?"

"Well, as I said. You're Asgardian, and it's tradition that all Asgardians, no matter who they are, can wield a blade. Same time next day?"

"Sounds like a plan," I smiled, before turning and making my way over to where the other fighters who were beginning to retire were putting their blades.

I put my sword away, rolling my shoulder to relieve the knot that had built up during the hour or so I'd spent training with Thor. I waved my goodbyes to him as I ascended the steps back into the palace, making for my room. I got lost a few times but a handful of servants pointed me in the right direction and eventually I found myself in the hall where my door was.

As I rounded into it, I spotted the familiar figure of Loki, his back to me, as he paced down to the opposite end of the hall and out of sight. I didn't really pay him much attention, but the sight of him made the familiar warm sparks tingle at my fingertips. No one had ever made my powers act up like that before. Just another mystery I'd have to unravel, but for now, all I wanted was sleep.

I entered into my room, cutting a path directly for the folding screen, over which I'd flung my nightdress. I swapped into it before emerging. That's when my eye finally caught the item on my desk, which definitely hadn't been there before.

I approached the desk slowly and picked it up. A bubble of excitement formed in my chest. It was a beautiful, leather-bound sketchbook, complete with a few quills and two pots of brand new ink.

My mind went to Loki next. Was that why he was in this hallway earlier? Had he gifted me this? He must've, I realized, as I thought harder on it. He was the only one in Asgard who knew that I liked art—after all he'd been the one to snatch an incomplete piece from my hand.

The more I thought of it, the less sense I could make of Loki. Sometimes he seemed like a mischievous trickster who didn't take anything seriously, but other times he seemed caring and sincere.

As I thought of him, my eyes drifted down to my new sketchbook. And then I was drawing; a head, lips, a nose, jet black, shoulder-length hair, and two piercing, pale eyes.

The sun had long since set by the time I was finished, and when I finally went to bed, I was asleep the moment my head hit the soft pillow beneath it.

╟╫╫╫╫╢