Sif could scarcely remember how she'd made it back to her chambers in the palace that night. It was all a blur. Her head ached and spun, making any coherent though impossible for her.

Collapsing onto her bed, she even lacked the strength to remove her clothing.
No sooner had she rested her pounding head, when she fell into a deep sleep that she did not wake from until almost 24 hours later.

And as she slept she dreamed. The dream was vivid and real, because it was no ordinary dream. It was in fact not actually a dream at all, but memories. Memories that Sif had long since forgotten, buried deep within her mind.
Like the other Gods and Goddesses of Asgard, her life had already spanned many centuries. Though her physical form was that of a woman in her early thirties, by mortal standards, memories from when she was still a young girl were far back in the mists of time. Yet in the dream here she was again, on the verge of womanhood, about to leave her teen years behind her..

The warm sunlight in the palace gardens caressed her skin as she wandered along the pathway. Her fingers reaching out to brush against the colourful flowers as she walked by. The sound of birds singing high up in the trees filled her ears and a soft breeze tousled her golden hair.
Then she saw him. Lounging lazily on the grass, his head propped up by his elbow, a pile of books beside him.

Just at that moment he looked up, suddenly aware of her presence,
"Good day to you my Lady"
He said politely, smiling the most heart warming of smiles, genuine and pleasant.

Sif approached him, not returning the smile,
"So you still prefer to shun sparring practice in favour of your old texts Loki?"
Her question was clearly more of a statement.

Loki, the smile never leaving his young face, closed the book he was reading and sat up,
"Do not mistake my absence for ignorance Sif. My beliefs are that a strong mind is as equally important as a strong body, would you not agree?"

Sif glanced pointedly at his long, gangly legs stretched out before him and his narrow frame,
"So, what you lack in body strength you hope to gain more in the way of knowledge?"

Loki's usually pale cheeks coloured slightly at this,
"I have not yet finished growing, however the mind never ceases to."
He replied quietly.

His keen eyes observed her with interest, as without ceremony,  she flopped down heavily beside him. Her  face wore a grim expression.

"Am I wrong to presume my brother is responsible for putting you in this glum mood?"
He ventured knowingly.

Sif visibly bristled, she hated being predictable. She should not be so transparent and easy to read.
"He appears to have lost all interest in me Loki...."
She admitted sadly, without thinking,
"Your father has stated that we are to be married once we come of age fully, yet Thor does not seem to care for me anymore."

Loki appeared fidgety at her speaking to him so openly. He hesitated a while, not knowing what to say.
"Ahh, well...I suppose you cannot expect he would be overjoyed at the prospect of marriage with him being so young."

Sif frowned,
"He is older than yourself Loki, and I for that matter...and besides, our marriage will not yet be for many years."

Loki lay back onto the grass idly, his arms behind his head, narrowed eyes firmly fixed on the sky,
"That may be so, but you know Thor as do I. He does not always think clearly, he wishes to prove himself first as a capable warrior, so his mind is distracted by thoughts of war at present...not love."
He looked up at Sif and seemed surprised to find she was smiling at him now,
"What amuses you so?"
He demanded somewhat self consciously.

"You do Loki"
She was giggling now,
"It seems no one knows Thor quite as well as you do."

Loki shrugged and closed his eyes against the glare of the sunlight,
"That may be so, he is my brother after all."

Sif lay down on her side facing him, her head resting on her hand,
"You also have a very old head on your young shoulders."

It was now Loki's turn to laugh,
"I am not sure if you mean that as a compliment or an insult my Lady!"

Sif laughed again,
"It is not intended as an insult. By reference to age I mean wisdom....you're far wiser than your brother Loki, despite you being younger than he."

She studied him closely, and she could not recall having done so before. In fact she had probably never even been this close to him before. His face was slim with angular features, but handsome. His pallor was quite pale and his eyes were a deep emerald green, as opposed to Thor's crystal blue ones. His hair was thick and black as a starry night, though when in the light it appeared to have a hint of blue about it, like a raven's feathers. Again, this was in stark contrast to Thor's, shaggy blonde mane.

"What are you looking at?"
Loki spoke suddenly, shattering her thoughts.

"I am merely taking in how different you are."
She replied honestly.

"To...Thor?"

Sif was about to agree when a thought occurred to her,
"Well, yes.....but also to everyone else I suppose"

Loki turned now to face her, mirroring her position by leaning on his elbow
"In what way?"

"In every way"
She replied without hesitation,
"Most Asgardians are fair haired. Either blonde, red heads or brunette, and yet yours is so dark."

Loki was smiling again, as if quietly amused by her observations. She noticed for the first time the way his eyes crinkled as he did so.
"So you are referring solely to my appearance rather than character? Because I was expecting you to point out my interests in reading and spell casting. And the blatant lack of interest in fighting"

Sif pretended to roll her eyes,
"Well yes, there is that also which undeniably makes you different!"

Slowly the smile faded from his lips, and his eyes turned down to stare at the small area of grass that lay between them.
"There is nothing wrong with being different, but people tend to fear what is different purely because they're too ignorant to understand."

He looked almost solemn now.
Sif could somehow sense his sadness, and understood why he felt this way.
He was often made fun of at the training arena for his unconventional style of fighting. He always chose daggers over an axe or sword, though sometimes he'd stretch to using a spear. However the most peculiar trait, was his method of fighting with his feet rather than hands. His long legs were deadly, his balance outstanding. He was able to kick so incredibly high and straight, rendering his opponent helpless against the force of it.

When questioned he claimed it was a form of combat practised in the far East of Midgard, and that it took great skill to master it. Needless to say, no one was impressed. At the palace he was ridiculed for his quietness; often choosing to read alone rather than join in with the lively banter of the warriors Three and Thor.
Then of course there was the magic...
Many jibed him for his dedication to the craft. But Loki being Loki, was not perturbed by their mockery.
Yes, there was no denying Loki was most definitely different.

Sif suddenly leaned in closer to him and spoke in hushed tones, as if the trees themselves may be listening,
"Have you...have you ever been kissed by a woman?"

Loki's eyes widened in unmistakable shock, and Sif herself was surprised by her boldness for asking such a personal question. She couldn't even understand where it had come from.

"I, well..ahh.."
He stammered, clearly flummoxed,
".....why would you ask such a question? Surely it can be of little interest to you."

Sif couldn't blame him for being affronted. Never before had the pair shared any time alone together. Now here they were lying side by side, talking as if they were close friends, which is perhaps why she had temporarily forgotten herself and inadvertently pried into his personal affairs.
"I am sorry Loki, I know it is none of my business. It's just that because you're so different, and you say that people fear those who are....I am curious to know if girls are too afeared to."

Loki stared at her curiously, suitably mystified with his dark brows knitting together in a deep frown,
"My word, that is a bizarre curiosity to have."
He cleared his throat.
"And suppose I were to ask you the same question?"
Then he tried to keep his face serious as he added,
"...though regarding kissing men, not women."

She laughed nervously, grateful for him taking this as well as he was. Previously she would have expected Loki to be outraged at such a line of questioning, he always seemed so serious and rigid. At times even coming across as maudlin, and undoubtedly supercilious.

"The thing is....Thor isn't different as you are. He attracts girls easily, they do not fear him they desire him."
She said eventually.

Loki cast his gaze down again as he registered her meaning, and Sif realised in that moment that she had said absolutely the wrong thing as he responded quite tersely.
"Ahh, so you have kissed the mighty Thor? Of course you have. How foolish of me to have not realised tha-"

He immediately silenced  as she carefully edged even closer to him now, diminishing the distance between them.
"I wonder.."
She pondered aloud, cutting him off.
"..how different a kisser you would be. You're so different in every other way."

Loki swallowed hard, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing in his throat. Sif could sense his tension, she couldn't quite believe her brazenness either. Had she been out in the midday sun for too long? She wasn't thinking clearly, she shouldn't be wondering what his lips and kisses would be like. But she had no control over her thoughts, and now all she could think of was how it would feel to kiss Loki.
Would his kisses be firm and powerful, not wet and weak? Not the kind where you'd have to wipe your mouth afterwards with the back of your hand.

She was overwhelmed by daring curiosity, the sense of danger was exhilarating, it thrilled her, and there was something pulling her towards the awkward young prince like an invisible force.

Their eyes locked and Sif felt a deep blush spreading from the tips of her toes to the very roots of her hair.
Her heart was beating wildly, her pulse misbehaving, and when he finally spoke, his words barely more than a whisper, his voice heated and burned her insides.
"Do you fear me, Sif?"

She knew instinctively the hidden meaning behind his question, and their heads were now inclining toward each other as if they were magnets, powerless to the pull.
"I.....n-no. I do not fear you Loki. Far from it actually."

She found herself closing her eyes automatically, her female intuition made her well aware of what was coming next.
This was madness.
Time seemed to stand still, everything began to move in slow motion: the breeze blowing the leaves from the trees even appeared to still, and the birds in the pale blue sky above them became frozen in flight...
And then it came....

His lips ghosted her own, gently at first, as if apprehensive.
The contact sent sweet, electrifying vibrations throughout her body like a shockwave, which sparked all of her senses and made every nerve tingle. She was forced to stifle a gasp, as the sensations and reality of what was happening sunk in.

Then any initial politeness and all common sense dispersed, as the world around her fell out of focus, forgotten.

Her hands reached up into his hair, tousling the silken strands between her fingers as she kissed him back, and he took this as all the invitation he needed.
He kissed with more conviction, more passion, and the blood roared in her ears and chugged through her veins.
She felt herself tilting then realised he was lowering her down and she clutched onto him for dear life, as if he were the only solid thing in this surreal, spinning world.

Now she knew why kissing was often described as melting, because every square inch of her being felt as if it were fusing with his.
Her entire body was now trembling as the affect of his lips washed over her like a giant lust-filled wave. Tremors of attraction thudded along her arms and down her legs, causing warmth to pool low in her belly.
It was terrifying yet tantalising, and even though his mouth was already on top of hers she wanted him closer still.

But then it happened.
A voice, or rather a roar, of anger that shattered the silence......and the moment.

The pair flew apart, as they were met by a blisteringly furious Thor.

Loki was stammering, clearly mortified at having been caught in such an intimate clinch by none other than Sif's intended husband. His brother.
"Th-Thor, I..ahh.."
He babbled, scrambling to his feet hastily.

Sif was frantically rearranging her tunic, which was now creased and a little grass-stained.

Thor's face certainly depicted an expression that was thunderous.
"What goes on here?!"
He demanded, glaring at his younger brother angrily.

Loki was desperately trying to smooth down his dishevelled locks of hair, unable to look him in the eye.
"Brother, I am sorry....it was just-"

Sif jumped to her feet and found her voice at last;
"Nothing!"
She declared, her tone steady and defiant.

Thor turned to look at her, her face was still flushed but she somehow managed to stare back at him defiantly.
"It was nothing!"
She repeated vehemently.

She noticed Loki looking at her strangely, his eyes searching her face.
For what, she did not know.
Thor turned and began to stomp away, grumbling something under his breath.
Sif automatically began to race after him,
"Thor, wait! Please, it was nothing I swear!"

As she left Loki behind without another glance back, she thought she caught the sound of his voice...in her head..

"Was it...really nothing?"