I found myself high up in the mountains. Gray cliff faces plummeting down into the clouds below. Patches of snow clung to the ground, even now as the sun shined high in the sky. Looking around I doubted I've ever been to this mountain range before. Small pine trees grew vertically. Their trunks planted into any small cracks in the rocks they could find. Other than that there was no other life. No animals, no insects. It was quiet, a chilling sort of quiet.

    I tired to walk forward, only to realize my feet weren't touching the ground. I was hovering a few inches off the ground like a ghost. I must have been dreaming.

    Behind me I heard rocks tumble down the mountain. Knocked aside by something coming my way.

    "Sir," a tiered voice called, echoing off the cliffs. "Are you sure the beast had come this way? Surly nothing that big can travel up here for this long. There simply isn't enough oxygen."

    Rounding the corner a group of men walked in a single file line. All of them wearing armor much like the ones Loki, Thor and their friends were wearing. They were Asgardians.

    "You would be surprised." The leader of the group laughed. "Whenever I go hunting with my father the beasts preferred high altitudes. This is the perfect domaine for them." The leader was obviously important. His clothing a bright shade of royal blue with golden accents and polished leather with intricate designs. He had chocolate brown hair and a well groomed beard with think eyebrows resting on his brow. His sky blue eyes sparked with excitement and youthfulness.

    I stared at the man, feeling like I should know him from somewhere. But I couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was because he was reminding me so much of the Asgardian princes. Thor more specifically. His sky blue eyes reflected that of the golden prince.

    The guard sighed, tired from their trek up the mountain. "You know best sir." He replied, but it was easy to tell him and the rest of the men were wearing down, their feet dragging on the ground with every step they took, knocking small pebbles and rocks aside, sending them tumbling down the mountain.

    The leader on the other hand looked completely fine. He walked with a spring in his step, pressing forward easily. Like hiking up a steep mountain face was an easy warm up for him. Now he was ready for the real work out.

    "There!" The leader exclaimed, jogging over to me.

    I flinched, scared the man had seen me. But he didn't even glance at me as he stopped next to me, kneeling down, running his hand over the ground.

    'Right,' I remembered, I was dreaming.

    The leader picked up a sandy badge scale, the tips fading into white. He studied it with a exited smile on his face. "I knew it came this way!" The leader beamed. "We must be getting close." He stood up and jogged off taking me with him, caught in his wake.

    The guards all grumbled and grunted but, slowly fallowed their leader. Less enthusiastic.

    I floated next to the leader as he jogged along the cliffs, stopping every so often, checking the ground. Looking for things I couldn't see. But every time he smiled, satisfied with something, then continued on his jog.

    Without realizing it his men fell further and further behind, until it was just him. But this didn't deter the man. On the contrary he seamed to be traveling faster and faster still until he came to a steep drop off with no where else to go.

    His men were long gone, either they stopped to catch their breath, or the leader had lost them. Probably both.

    "You really gave my men a good workout today." The man chuckled, talking to the vast open sky. Making me think this man was borderline insane. "But you will have to try harder than that to lose me."

    Nothing, other than a cold breeze, ruffling his chocolate brown hair, answered him. But he continued to stand there, smiling like a mad man.

    Right when I was about to think this was simply a weird dream and nothing more a woman shot up into the sky from down below the cliff. Her fiery curly red hair tied back in a simple braid, golden eyes tracking the man's every move. She wore gold and silver dragon rider armor with red fire proof clothing under her armor that sparked like sapphires. Or dragon scales.

    I had a feeling that I had seen her too. But I couldn't place it.

    Which was making me annoyed.

    She landed gracefully on the mountain, then rushed the man, her movements quick and practiced. She tackled him to the ground, her knee pressed to his throat.

    The two looked at each other with stoic expressions, locking their gaze together. Then the man smiled and began to laugh. "You certainly are a force to be reckoned with, my love."

    The woman's scowl melted away, being replaced with a happy relaxed smile. She laughed happily, golden eyes shining playfully. "You better believe it you're majesty."

    They both laughed, the woman joyful, while the man looked up at her like she was the most beautiful thing the the universe. The woman stood up offering the man a hand. The man took it gratefully and she hauled him to his feet.

    "Too much?" The woman asked with a shy grin. Now, with her not tackling people to the ground she looked petite and harmless. Her button nose and round soft cheeks red from the cold.

    "For me?" The man laughed, pulling the woman close to him, hugging her in a loving embrace. "Never."

    She laughed and leaned up as the man leaned down, kissing her softly.

*

    I woke up to arguing.

    "Loki." Thor's voice boomed, making my head hurt. "You can't just go around knocking young beautiful girls out simply because you can't get a date."

    "That is not... she had a dragon with her." Loki snarled.

    "And where is this dragon?" Fandral asked.

    "Not here." Loki grumbled. "But I am telling you, this girl, she's a much bigger issue than any dragon."

    "Not bigger than the one we were after when you called us for backup." The woman grumbled. "Just a little longer and we could have had it."

    I groan, my brain throbbing in my skull. Blinking my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling of the golden tent. Much like everything else the Asgardians had, it to held beautifully crafted designs. Most of which was showing pictures of different hunts that no doubt Thor and his friends had gone on. I was laying in a bed of soft furs, fire light flicking outside the tent, making the shadows move and sway, as if they where alive. Slowly I sat up, clutching my head as it throbbed in pain.

    "Here you are." A kind voice said next to me. I looked up seeing Thor holding a mug out to me. Cautiously I looked into it, expecting beer, or nectar. Something that would entertain the gods while they were out hunting. Thankfully it was just water.

    "She's dangerous." Loki scolded his brother. Looking at me as if I was about to jump up off the bed and attack. Given my splitting headache, I would not be doing such a thing.

    "She's a small young lady." Thor rolled his eyes, still offering me the water. "She's about as dangerous to us as a butterfly is to a bilgesnipe. Look at her."

    I gently take the water from Thor, trying my best to look as small and unthreatening as possible, which made Thor smile at me kindly. If he was going to treat me as a small harmless mortal I would do my best to play the part. 'Don't worry,' his smile conveyed. 'I will keep you safe from my insane younger brother.'

    "She's not human." Loki tired again. "I can feel it. Her magic isn't of Earth. Its something older, more dangerous."

    At Loki's allegations, which were correct, I gingerly sipped my water. Doing my best to look small weak and pathetic. I would much rather have them think I was a maiden in distress than anything else. Which made Loki glare at me even harder.

    "She looks human." Fandral rolled his eyes. "Perhaps she's simply like the doctor you and Thor met once. Blessed with the ability to harness Eldritch Magic?"

    "Strange." Thor agreed, nodding his head. "You didn't think that guy was human either, Loki."

    "This isn't Eldritch Magic." Loki snarled. "It's different from Strange." Loki then went up to his brother, looking him square in the eyes. "I'm telling you brother she is something neither of us has met before. A secret father hasn't shared with us."

    "Loki..." Thor sighs, but Loki didn't stand down. He gave his brother a salient plea,'Trust me.'

    The two brothers looked at each other, having a silent argument. Then Thor sighed in defeat. "This is your quest brother. If you think we should bring this young, harmless woman back to the palace its your call."

    Loki studied me, his green eyes piercing into my soul. He was feeling my magic. Trying to understand what it was. Unlike Thor I couldn't act small and weak to make him think of me as nothing more than a small pathetic mortal. He knew something was off.

    "We will take her back to Asgard with us." Loki tells the group, making them all roll their eyes and groan. But Loki stood his ground. "We will take her to the All Father. I have a feeling he would like to meet her."

    I did not want to meet the All Father. I was pretty sure that was against the rules of not interacting with Asgardians. But I doubted I could fight off six trained warriors, and if Eclipse came into the campsite fire blazing they would know Loki was right. They would chase us down in a deadly game of tag. I was not willing to put my dragon in that kind of danger.

    I could feel a slight itch in the back of my brain, Eclipse was close. And he was worried. 'Stay where you are.' I thought, trying to convey to my dragon that I was alright and unharmed. 'I got this.'

    There was no way out of going to Asgard. I knew that. Perhaps if I simply acted weak and clueless in-front of the I could fool him? If the All Father said I was a harmless mortal Loki would have to let the subject drop. Then I would be free to go. There would be no fighting, no risk, and Drakarus would be kept a secret.

    And who knows? Maybe I wouldn't even meet the All Father? It was a well known fact that he disapproved of mortals in his realm. Maybe he would dismiss me even before we could reach the palace?