Wrote this mostly because it's a snow day today, which means the rest of the week will be fraught with homework. Ugh. 

Hope you enjoy the chapter!! It'll probably be one of the last "happy" chapters for a while. :(

~Music~

Look Through My Eyes (Phil Collins) (SO PERFECT)

Awakens as a Bear (Brother Bear soundtrack)

Touch the Sky (Brave soundtrack) 

~Nobody's POV~

Two days later, Thea finds herself in a long corridor, walking with Klaka and enjoying the tranquility. She is wearing a light pink dress that skims her ankles, and is carrying a large book in her hands. She had taken it from the giant library yesterday, and wants to find somewhere peaceful to read it.

Her injuries are nearly gone. There is still a small bruise on her cheek, and the wound on her neck is still inflamed, but as a whole, Loki had done well. She's not in pain, and the events with Saissa are almost completely forgotten.

Almost.

Thea had not forgotten how effortlessly the Asgardian girl had succeeded in pushing her down, of subjugating her. Even her magic had failed her; she knows that she can't control them, and that they are still considerably weak. She has never wanted to beat someone like she wants to beat Saissa.

These events also make her think about her constant tussles with Loki. If Saissa is any indication, Loki had never used his full strength against her. Thea's guess is that Loki is much stronger than Saissa, and if Saissa could successfully overpower Thea, Thea is almost certain that Loki has been much more gentle with her than she had previously thought.

Still thinking hard, Thea finds a long bench tucked inside a stone alcove and sits down. Klaka jumps up on the bench and settles down next to her, resting his head in her lap. He has already grown considerably, and has become lankier, his legs almost too long for his body.

Thea has struggled through three paragraphs of the Asgardan writing when Klaka raises his head and growls, the fur on his neck sticking up.

She looks up and tries not to recoil. Videl is standing at the entrance to the alcove, leaning against the stone. His golden curls are ruffled from the slight breeze, but he looks no different; he has not lost that visage of a beautifully seraphic hunter.

Thea raises her chin, "What do you want?"

Videl meanders into the alcove and sits down next to her (Thea pretends that this doesn't bother her), "I don't know if you've noticed," he says, crossing one of his long legs on top of the other, "But I am here to actually interact with you, not to watch you run away from me, which, by the way, you have done an admirable number of times. Although I'm hurt. It's not nice to be ignored."

Thea flushes. It's true. She had been avoiding Videl, even though Thor had actually forced her to sit next to him at dinner the night before. Videl didn't actually eat, but but had sat there and even engaged in conversation with-of course- Fandral. Loki hadn't been present, but Odin had, which had collectively made it the worse dinner Thea had ever had in Asgard.

"I know you're still pouting over your little grudge match," says Videl, "But still, as a whole, I would have thought you would have at least sought out my company for a little bit."

"I am not pouting," says Thea staunchly, petting Klaka so that he won't attack Videl.

"Yes you are," says Videl, "And it's extremely amusing."

"I want you to go away," says Thea, "Right now. Or I'll get Loki, and he'll definitely make you leave."

Videl snorts, "Neither you nor Loki can make me leave. And Thea, may I just point out that you cannot always rely on Loki?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Thea kicks his leg, almost toppling him off the bench, "Go away."

"That's not very nice," says Videl casually, putting his leg back in position as if Thea hadn't even kicked him, "Your temper, I swear, will be the end of you."

"And your face, I swear," says Thea, "Will be the end of you."

Videl smirks, "You have more spunk than I thought."

"I don't care. If you don't get out of here, I'll let Klaka make a chew toy out of you."

"I'm terrified," says Videl, "And consequently, I would strongly advise against that, because if there is something we both know I am good at, it is making chew toys out of things."

Thea doesn't say anything, but Videl notices that she wraps her arm tighter around Klaka.

At this moment, a white blur swoops into the alcove, and Thea jumps as a snowy-white owl alights itself on Videl's shoulder. Klaka growls again.

"I hate that owl," mutters Thea, trying to focus on the book and failing.

"Wairua?" asks Videl, stroking the owl's head with one finger, "What did he ever do to you?"

Thea doesn't respond. Videl leans back against the wall as Wairua hops onto Videl's arm.

When Videl extends his owl-occupied-arm towards Thea, the girl jumps back, causing Klaka to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"Get him away from me!" she exclaims, kicking out again. Wairua hoots in as disdainful a tone as an owl can hoot.

"Now Thea," says Videl, looking very amused, "Wairua just wants to say hello."

"I will kill that owl," says Thea dangerously, "Just like I killed Blaidd."

"And if you kill Wairua," says Videl, just as dangerously, "I will break Klaka's neck."

Thea looks up at Videl quickly. Videl smirks.

"Give me your hand," says Videl, reaching forward.

"No!"

"I just want you to pet him," croons Videl, "I assure you, you should be more afraid of me than him."

He tries to take her wrist, and Thea kicks him again, nearly missing Wairua, who flaps his wings in an obviously insulted way.

"Don't touch me!"

"Stop being-"

"Lay a hand on her, Videl, and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Videl rolls his eyes and Thea turns around to see Loki standing at the alcove's entrance. Klaka yips happily and runs over to him, leaping up his legs.

Loki ignores the dog and says, narrowing his eyes at Videl, "Out."

"I'm sorry," says Videl lazily, "But I'm under the impression that-"

"I said get out."

Videl and Loki glare at each other for a few moments. Then, Videl stands and walks out of the alcove, Wairua bobbing on his shoulder.

"I was actually trying to help," snaps Videl, looking back briefly.

"Really?" asks Loki with extremely fake delight, "I don't care. And additionally, if you don't keep that bird away from Thea, the next time you see him, it will be on the banquet table."

Videl looks murderous, but evidently decides not to argue. Instead, he clenches his fists and stalks away.

Loki watches him leave with a look of utter disdain. Then, he walks over and sits down next to Thea, in the place that Videl had just occupied. "Nothing happened, did it?"

"No." says Thea dully.

"And you would tell me if something did happen, correct?"

"Maybe."

Apparently, Videl's appearance has put Thea in a sullen mood.

Loki shakes his head and then says, "You and I are getting up early tomorrow. I just thought I would warn you."

"Why?"

"Why are we getting up early or why am I warning you? Elucidate, Thea."

She glares at him, "Both."

"We are getting up early because I said we are getting up early, and I am warning you because I would rather not be shouldered with your...crankiness."

He smiles at her apparent annoyance.

"I'll be cranky anyway," says Thea spitefully.

"You're cranky right now."

"I am not."

"You are so."

"I am not."

"You are so, and don't deny it." Loki smirks, "The question is why."

"Why what?"

"Stop talking in circles. It won't work on me." Loki stands up, squeezing her shoulder as he does so.

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?"

"I might and I might not."

"Does it matter if Odin is there?" asks Thea.

Loki looks back at her, "Oh yes Thea," he says, a smile playing at the ends of his lips, "It most certainly does matter."

*

The next morning is misty and quite a bit chilly. For this, as Loki sits up and looks down at the peacefully sleeping Thea, he feels a tiny bit of regret for pushing her and saying, "Wake up, Thea."

She groans, covering her head with a pillow. "Nnnnn."

Loki rolls his eyes. He leans forward and shakes her shoulders, "Come on. I told you that we were getting up early."

"Nnn nn."

"Thea!"

She kicks blindly, and manages to hit Loki's shoulder. He grimaces and then pulls the pillow and the covers off of her. Immediately, she curls up in a ball, shivering.

"Up," says Loki, "Don't make me throw water on you."

She ignores him.

"THEA."

"Not...getting...up..." she mumbles.

"I actually will throw water on you."

"No...wouldn't..."

Then, she shrieks, because Loki actually does throw some water from the basin next to the bed on her face. "Loki it's cold!" she chatters, sitting up and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Go get dressed in something warm then," says Loki as-a-matter-of-factly, "I'll be back in twenty minutes. If you're not ready, then we're going to have an issue."

She yawns, and then leans against his shoulder, her wet hair splattering his chin.

To solve this problem, Loki simply slides off the bed, and Thea falls limply onto the mattress.

"Thea, get up."

She groans again and mutters, "It's still dark. It's not even morning."

Loki chuckles, and, on his way out of the room, calls over his shoulder, "Twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes finds Thea changed in a long white dress, a sleepy look still on her face. She hears a knock on her door, and reluctantly goes to open it.

"It's cold outside, as you so accurately pointed out," says Loki before she can open her mouth to say anything more, "Put this on." He holds out a beautiful gray fur cloak and wraps it around her shoulders. "Let's go, kitten."

"What about Klaka?" Thea asks, for the puppy is lounging sleepily on her bed (Loki had long since abandoned the attempt of banishing Klaka from her bed).

"Leave him," says Loki, pushing her out of the room.

The palace is silent and casts shadows over them. Mist filters in through the columns like a silvery sea, and causes Thea to shiver slightly. She walks next to Loki, the cloak trailing behind her, "It's too early," she yawns, "Where are we even going?"

"You'll find out," says Loki.

"Oh thank you for clearing my question up. You're so helpful."

He gives her a look. She grins up at him.

Sighing, Loki turns her in the direction of the stables. As Thea recognizes the sloping path, she says eagerly, "If you're not going to tell me where we're going, then can I ride Stjarna?"

Loki grunts, "Fine. No more questions."

"If you actually answered my questions," grumbles Thea, "I wouldn't ask so many of them."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

The stable is almost completely silent as well. Thea looks around and sees that most of the horses are standing with their heads hanging limply to their chests, asleep. She loves looking at all of the animals, all with something very different and very beautiful about them.

"Where are those stable boys?" Loki asks, mostly to himself as Thea tries to find Stjarna amongst the long row of horses, "I wanted them down here and-"

"They're probably asleep," says Thea, "Like smart people."  

He ignores her and vanishes into a large room off the side of one of the stalls.

"He's cranky," says Thea, reaching forward to pet one of the horses, a large bay gelding that had awoken and is now stomping around restlessly, "He probably didn't get enough sleep."

Loki leans out of the large room with a foul expression on his face, "I can hear you."

"I know," says Thea pointedly.

He rolls his eyes and vanishes again.

Thea grins, happy that she's extracted revenge on him for waking her up. She continues down the row of horses. A few minutes later, she exclaims, "I found Stjarna!"

Loki either doesn't hear her or ignores her. Thea suspects that it's the latter.

Thea leans over the stable door to pet Stjarna who, after waking up, nickers and nuzzles her face, "Hi there Stjarna," she says happily, "You look very pretty."

"Horses aren't pretty," says Loki, who has come up silently from behind her. He's holding a halter-like rope. "They're useful."

Thea wrinkles her nose as Loki pushes her aside and opens the stable door, "Stjarna is pretty."

"Stjarna is a horse."

Thea has a very mischievous look on her face, "Loki, didn't you turn into a  girl hor-"

"Don't you dare start that human nonsense."

"-And mate with a male horse."

"I'm warning you."

"-And have a baby horse with eight legs?" Thea is grinning devilishly.

Loki looks down at her imperiously, "I would no sooner turn into a horse than I would turn into a chipmunk."

"But doesn't Odin have an eight legged horse?"

"Yes, Thea, eight-legged horses exist. But," Loki puts the halter over Stjarna's neck and pulls the horse out of the stall, "If you actually think that I would turn myself into a female horse and subject myself to that disgust, then you don't know me."

"I don't know," says Thea, trying to stop suppress a smile and failing, "I think you'd be a great horse. Not as pretty as Stjarna, but-"

She squeals as he tries to grab her, but she dashes around Stjarna and avoids him easily. Her gleeful laughs reverberate off of the stable walls, awakening some of the other horses.

By the time Loki brings a saddled Stjarna around, Thea is sitting on a large chest outside the stable, still giggling. Loki shoots her a glare and ties Stjarna up at one of the large silver posts.

Then, he grabs her and begins to tickle her aggressively, "You," he growls as she squeals with laughter, "Are the most irritating child I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"No, Saissa is," gasps Thea between laughs.

Loki snorts, "No, she is the most satanic, vile, and cruel child that I have ever had the misfortune to meet. You," He says as she continues to laugh, "Are the most irritating, by far."

She grins again, and Loki can't help but smile at her. He lets her go and calls over his shoulder, "Stay by Stjarna. I have no ambition to go chasing after a horse at this time of day."

"Will you turn into a girl horse to go get him?" asks Thea joyfully.

"Theodora!"

*

"Where are we going?" Thea asks for the twentieth time.

"Somewhere," says Loki for the twentieth time.

Thea and Loki are riding up a cobbled passageway through the very edge of the palace, but heading towards the back, where the trees and mountains soar above. The mist continues to pour around the horse's feet like a layer of clouds, and dew hangs from the grass and the branches of the trees, occasionally dripping onto Thea's head. It smells fresh and alive out here, and Thea takes a deep breath, loving every second of it. The sun is just beginning to peak out from the sky, and birds are chirping cheerfully, darting in between the trees and bushes.

"I have a question," says Thea a few minutes later as the horses begin to angle upwards and farther away from the palace.

"Really?" asks Loki sarcastically, "You have a question? I didn't know you were capable of asking questions."

"Shut up."

"If you tell me to shut up," says Loki with a grin of his own, "How do you expect me to answer your question?"

She sticks her tongue out at him, and then says, "Why do you and Fjodr hate each other?"

A shadow seems to creep over Loki's face, and for a second, Thea regrets asking the question and wonders if he is going to reply.

Then, Loki says, "Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

Thea frowns, then nods.

Loki sighs. Then, he says, "The day the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, my mother and an apparition of Jane took shelter in a room. There was a guard outside that room, posted for my mother's security. That guard was Fjodr. Upon seeing Malekith and the monster Kurse, he ran for cover, the cowardly snake." He pauses, " My mother died that day."

Thea swallows.

Loki continues, not looking at her and staring straight ahead, "I was infuriated. Shortly after she died, and I was freed from my cell upon Malekith's destruction, I took revenge from Fjodr in the only way I could think. During a festival, I seduced Fjodr's wife, Saissa's mother."

Now, Thea definitely regrets asking the question. "What?"

"It's true," says Loki softly, "Infidelity is not tolerated amongst the guards of Asgard, and Heira was banished to be a kitchen maid. It just about destroyed Fjodr, I believe. But that is what I wanted. The thing that I had not wanted, however, was how much it destroyed Saissa. She watched her family get torn apart, similar to how I watched my family get torn apart. I sympathized with her until her altercation with you."

Thea doesn't exactly know what to say to this story.

"Have I rendered you speechless, kitten?" asks Loki, although the malice has gone from his voice, "I didn't know that was possible."

"No," squeaks Thea, "I'm not speechless."

"You're surprised. Or frightened. Which one?"

"Both?" Thea asks hesitantly.

Loki looks up towards the mountains, "I do not regret what I did, nor am I so prideful as to know what I did was wrong. It was just a bit of fun to me, and so it remains. I don't think about things in the past. It gets in the way of my future."

Thea is quiet for a couple minutes. She's considering what Loki has just told her, and frowning. Loki lets her, not asking any more from her.

A few minutes later, Thea says, "I have another question."

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

Loki laughs, and there is relief in his eyes, "For the last time, Thea, I am not telling you."

"Pretty please?"

"No. Be patient."

"You're mean."

"I know." He mocks her tone and Thea groans.

*

"Follow me," says Loki.

They have reached a small, lovely glen in the one of the mountains, filled with moss, flowers, and overhanging leaves. Over the past two hours, Thea had gotten slightly dizzy from the height of the path that Stjarna had taken, but Loki made no comment, so neither did she.

Loki dismounts his horse and ties the reins around a branch. Doing the same to Stjarna, Thea walks after Loki as he meanders around a collection of boulders.

Thea cocks her head as she hears a rushing sound. "Is that water?"

"Probably," says Loki, and Thea's eyes widen as they emerge from underneath some branches. She is looking at a small pool surrounded by a glen of narrow rocks. Silvery water cascades from the glen's walls over into the pool, trickling over stones and over plants, and the rocks stretch upward so much, the leaves nearly block the sunlight. But still, it is bright around the pool, even though it is hardly morning.

"It's so beautiful," Thea gushes.

Loki smiles. He has made his way over to the far right edge of the pool, where a curtain of willow leaves hangs. "Come over here."

She hops over some of the stones along the pond, the falls wetting her face, and makes her way over to him. he pulls back the curtain of willow leaves, and she gasps.

The glen overlooks a giant valley, stuck in between the mountains. The wind ripples over the ground so far below her, like a sea of grass, and she can see layers of mist hanging over the rocks and mountains. The sun is peeking through the clouds, sending bright rays of thin light into the valley like beautiful laser beams. Thea has never seen something so beautiful in all her life.

Loki lets her drink in the majesty for a little bit, and settles down on the wet grass next to the pool of water.

After ten minutes, Thea walks over to Loki and sits down next to him, looking up and around the waterfall glen. "What is this place?"

Loki leans back on his elbows. "My mother, Frigga, used to take me here to teach me magic when I was young, younger even than you. This place has mystery and magic woven into its fiber and its livelihood."

"Why did you bring me here?" Thea asks.

He raises his eyebrows and then reaches forward and takes her hands. "Make your fire."

"What?"

He nods, "Go on. Make your fire."

Thea glances at him and then, closing her eyes, she concentrates. A small flame appears on her fingers and flickers there. She has her eyes still tightly closed, and her arms are shaking slightly, trying to retain the flame.

"Stop tensing," says Loki quietly, "Breathe. Let the fire run through your veins peacefully before it reaches your skin."

She takes a deep breath through her teeth, but she is having trouble. Her arm is still shaking. Finally, with a gasp, she lets her hands fall. The flame extinguishes. "I can't," she mutters.

"That's because nobody has taught you how," says Loki, not looking surprised or worried. "When I was your age, I could do even less than you."

"But," stammers Thea, "I'm not Asgardian. I'm not as strong."

"You are just as strong as any Asgardian," says Loki firmly, "Perhaps not in physical strength, but magic does not require physical strength. It requires mental strength and mental flexibility, something I know you have.

"Now I want you to try again. This time, don't think of the fire as an elemental existence. Think of it as an extension of yourself, something smooth and natural. Concentrate, but relax. Don't tense. Let your emotions go."

"But," says Thea, "It's strongest when I'm mad."

"Of course it is," says Loki, "Is not everything heightened in anger? Your strength, your mind, your tongue? If you truly want to be able to possess and master this magic, you need to see the difference between using anger to direct your fire, and using fire to direct your anger."

Thea swallows.

"Try again," says Loki, taking her hands again.

She does, and closes her eyes. She feels the familiar heat in her arms radiating towards her fingers, and she stiffens in anticipation.

"Ah, ah," says Loki, and snapping her eyes open, Thea loses concentration.

He shakes her arm playfully, "Don't tense."

She huffs.

"Don't get annoyed. If you get annoyed, you'll get messy. And if you get messy, then you'll fail."

"B-"

Loki smiles, "Again."

Thea tries again and again. More often than not, she tenses, and Loki stops her halfway through. Even though she tries not to, she feels herself getting frustrated, and finally, she exclaims, "This is pointless! I can't do it!"

To her surprise, Loki is laughing.

She puts her hands on her hips, "What?"

"You're acting just as I did," says Loki, "And you're just as stubborn. Come on, Thea. Prove me wrong that you're not just that stubborn little thirteen year old child I met a year ago on the helicarrier, the child that lost her temper at everything that moved."

Thea scowls.

"You can do this," says Loki, "I know this about you, Thea."

And an hour later, she does.

The fire not only ignites on her fingers, but the flame soars up more than two feet in strong bursts. She squeals in excitement, and grins from ear to ear as she watches the dancing flame.

When finally, she consciously lets the flames down, Loki is smiling.

*

They work for most of the morning on her fire, and as the hours pass, she becomes more adept. At one point, Loki has her combat his ice with her flames, and her eyes widen as the two elements fight in the air, a mix of blue-white and orange-red. She is not as good at this, but Loki says, as Thea topples over from the force she is fusing on her figners, "I don't want you learning how to fight much with that fire right now anyway. I don't want a pyrokinetic on my watch."

Loki teaches her how to move objects next, as he had correctly spotted the workings of telekinesis in Thea's veins. She learns this even quicker than the fire, and within an hour, she has rocks, leaves, and Loki's dagger swooping through the air.

Loki plucks the dagger from the air with a twist of his wrist, "You are far more clever than I anticipated, Thea," he says, "And far stronger. I do not know why this surprises me, though." He takes her hands and peers at them,"Look," he says, moving his finger over her tips, "No burns. I do not believe you will have to worry about that again, little one."

"But the gloves Peter made were so cool," says Thea wistfully.

"Then by all means, wear them, I couldn't care less."  

Loki lets her send a pebble around the glen again as he takes some food from the satchel on his saddle.

"All right," Loki, "Come eat. You've probably worked up an appetite, all that work you've been doing."

"It's like Harry Potter," says Thea happily, "Accio apple!"

Loki laughs as the apple whizzes over to her, misses her hand, and strikes her forehead. "You have the grace of a pelican."

"Pelicans are graceful," mumbles Thea, rubbing her head and biting into her apple, "Once they're in the air."

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

Thea leans against his shoulder as she continues eating the apple. She is perfectly content, the sunlight shining through the glade brightly, although it is still chilly enough for her to pull the fur cloak around her shoulders tightly. Loki looks down at her, and begins to run his fingers through her dirty-blonde hair.

"I wish I had met your mother," says Thea in a longing sort of voice, looking around the glen as she snuggles against Loki.

Loki blinks, not sure how to respond to this. Then, he says softly, "So do I, Thea. She would have loved you so much."

She looks up at him, her green eyes bright, "Really?"

"Yes," says Loki, poking her nose, "She would have loved your fire, and the love you have for your family."

Darkness trickles into Thea's eyes, "I don't have a family anymore," she says sadly.

"Yes you do," says Loki, "How many times does someone have to tell you this?"

"But...they're all...gone."

"Death may separate bodies, but it does not separate hearts," says Loki. "It may crush your heart, but it will never destroy it. I see the proof of that now as you are learning how to master your talents."

Thea thinks about this for a couple minutes, as Loki continues to stroke her hair.

"Loki?"

"Hm?"  

"I love you."

He looks down at her and smiles, "I know you do." When she looks annoyed, he says amusedly, "Is that not the response you were searching for?"

"No," says Thea sullenly.

"Don't be so grumpy, kitten. You can't have everything you want."

There's a pause.

"But I love you too," says Loki softly.

Thea smiles triumphantly.

*

"We're leaving in an hour," says Loki as the afternoon wears on. He has worked with Thea with her magic even more, testing her strength and stamina as he does so. "Thor wants us back before dinner."

"Please will you come to dinner this time? You didn't come last night even when I asked, and it was miserable."

"In case you haven't noticed," says Loki, stretching out beside the pool, "I don't do everything or anything you say."

"But you expect me to?"

"I don't expect you to. That's the frustrating part."

"You're mean."

"You're meaner."

"You're meaner times ten," states Thea, eyeing the water next to Loki.

"You're meaner times infinity."

"You're meaner times twice infinity."

"That's not even a thing."

"Water is a thing," says Thea.

"Of course water's a thing, don't be so stupi-Thea!"

Thea laughs gleefully as the water erupts from the edge of the pool. Her powers were more potent than she had anticipated, and had resulted in Loki being completely saturated with water. She covers her mouth with her hands to try to stop her giggles.

Loki sputters, trying to shake the water from his hair. He looks up, through his strands of sopping black hair and glares at her from across the glen.

"You are so dead when I get my hands on you!"

Thea screams as he grabs her from where she is trying to scamper up the rocks and pulls her down, sending them both tumbling.

He wrestles her as she continues to laugh, and within seconds, he has her wrists pinned to the ground. Water is dripping from his face onto hers, but both of them are laughing.

"Why are you laughing, you little sprite?" smirks Loki, although honestly, he doesn't mind at all that she is laughing.

He leans down over her, "Who won?"

"Not...you...!" she gasps.

"Wrong... answer!"

"Oh," says Thea innocently, "Is that not the response you wanted? Sorry Loki, you can't get everything you stop it! Sto-o-o-p!" She begins to kick as Loki tickles her again. "LO-O-KI!"

"This will teach you to behave yourself," growls Loki, not relenting, not letting her up, but still laughing.

Eventually, he does let her go, and the two of them lie on the grass, laughing. The day had been filled with beauty, and with something light and magical.

But the most magical thing that Loki sees that day is Thea's face lit up with laughter and her eyes bright and happy.

----

This makes me happy inside....

For now....

Please VOTE and COMMENT.

Stay warm! 

<3 Sierra