A young girl ran through the halls of the Asgardian Palace, startling most of the servants rushing about. The girl could hear the whispers about her, "hair as dark as Niflehiem," "skin as white as Jotun snow," "eyes as green as the fields of Alfheim," she didn't bother correcting them. Her hair was actually a dark blue hue, grated it was almost black, her skin was slightly tanned, and her eyes were a blue-green. The girl had more pressing matters on hand though. "Father! Father? Where are you?"

"Right with you as always my princess," Loki said, appearing behind the little girl and lifting her up, "Now what is it you would like Hel? Another scroll? Perhaps extra lessons of sparring with Lady Freyja? Or would you like to sit in the library with me?"

Hel giggled at her father's requests, of course she'd like another scroll to read, or another scroll, or extra sparring lessons, and she'd absolutely love to go sit in the library with her father, but she had another thing she wanted, more than anything else at the moment. "I would like to learn magic father," Hel said, holding her head high like a true warrior, just as her father had taught her.

"Magic darling? Are you sure? Once you learn the art of spellcasting, there is no turning back," Loki warned, walking through the palace with Hel on his hip. This was a common occurrence, all the servants in the castle knew Loki loved no one more than Hel, and he would go out of his way to show his love. Many strange things such as a small girl running through the halls of the Asgardian palace were considered normal now. Luckily, most of the servants in the castle did not have magic, or had very limited magic, they could not sense Hel's immense potential power, they could get a small whiff of it, but nothing much,

"Yes, father! Grandmother Frigga informed me that you were about my age when you learned magic, I would like to start as well," Hel said with the spark that all youth had. Hel was extremely close to her Grandmother, Frigga had not had a daughter, only sons, so she loved treating Hel with womanly things that she could not give her men. Even though Loki was genderfluid, he chose to remain in his male form most of the time.

"I see you are training to have my silver tongue. We shall go to your chambers and I will go and work magic lessons into your schedule," Loki said, carrying Hel in the direction of her wing of the golden palace. The palace covered so much land, yet not many people lived in it, so Hel had a small little section all to herself, which was nice since Loki was able to protect easier this way.

"You will teach me, father, right?" Hel asked wrapping her dainty arms around her father's neck to stabilize herself as Loki carried her.

"Who else but I would teach you?" Loki questioned, throwing out an arm and opening the always locked doors that led to the small section of the palace that belonged to Hel. The lock could only be opened by magic or by a handprint of one of the guards or family members, except for Odin, though, he had never tried, he never visited Hel, and Hel only knew her grandfather from the books and scrolls where she read about the all-powerful god. The door had a lock because, although Hel did not know it yet, she had immense power, many things would be out to capture her and use her as a pawn or take the life force of the poor girl. The lock also protected her from the grandfather she read so many stories about and admired as all younglings did. The lock was just a cautionary, Hel could open it from the inside, so it wasn't constricting for her.

"Why have you answered my question with one of your own?" Hel asked with cool fire in her voice. Loki opened Hel's bed chambers and set her down on her bed before answering, "Why, my princess, you have answered my question, which answered your question, with yet another question."

Hel giggled, knowing the smirk Loki gave her was a smile of agreement, "Thank you, father!"

Loki's smirk turned into a soft smile with love, "Of course Hel, I will ask if your magic lessons may be placed after your etiquette lessons with Grandmother Frigga, now, it is late, run along and get ready for bed. I will send a maid to bring you a scroll of stories."

Loki walked out of Hel's bed chambers and teleported to outside his father's throne room, Loki chose to walk in, "Allfather," Loki said, bowing before his father and king.

"What is it you acquire my son?" Odin asked from atop his throne.

"Firstly, both you and I know I am not your true son and second, may I include lessons of magic into Hel's agenda?" Loki asked chin held high as he taught his daughter to do.

"You came to me for something that you could've done on your own, why do you come?" the Allfather replied, just as Frigga laid a hand on his arm.

"Because both of us know of Hel's power, and it would be improper for me not to seek permission before training such a powerful child," Loki answered, pale green eyes meeting sky blue ones. Even as Loki masked some of Hel's power with his own, Odin could still feel some of her power.

"You could still do it even if I did not give you permission," Odin replied knowingly, Loki, the god of tricker and lies, would do what he wanted even if Odin told him not to.

"Yes, well then, I shall be on my way, I must go to my bed chambers," Loki said, turning his back to the king and queen.

"You may teach the young child, though, if you teach the wrong things, she may destroy Asgard."

"Oh I know, goodnight mother, Allfather," Loki said, swiftly leaving the courtroom and going to his bed chambers, but not before checking on Hel, who he found fast asleep, "Goodnight my princess," he whispered, "May you learn your power and use it for good, unlike I have in the past."

...

"Chin up Hel," Loki said, gently tilting Hel's chin up, they had started their lessons just a day after their conversation about it.

Hel, however, was struggling, they had been going at it for half an hour now, trying to create a simple ball of energy, the first thing Loki learned when first learning the art of spell casting.

"Father? Am I not strong enough?" Hel asked, her eyes betraying fear and doubt, the two things she wished to hide. This was, what seemed to her, like her millionth attempt at trying to do the simplest spell she had ever read about.

Loki moved closer on the stone bench where they were seated, "No Hel, you are more powerful than you could imagine, take a look around you."

Hel did as her father asked of her, they were in the gardens where Frigga had first taught Loki how to be a mage.

"Now listen and feel," Loki whispered.

Hel closed her eyes and let everything take control of her, rather than controlling it. She could feel the life force of everything, their auras and their powers, she could especially feel her father's power, it was like a beacon of light on a moonless night.

"Now call upon the energy you feel, don't steal it, just fuel yourself in a way so it does not harm everything else," Loki instructed using the same words Frigga used on him.

Hel called upon the energy, in a way, she asked permission from the different auras she felt if she could have a piece of their energy.

Loki saw her concentration, and her fingers were glowing slightly, perfect, "Now, imagine the energy like yarn, and you are weaving like the way Grandmother Frigga had taught you, weave those individual strands of energy together into a tapestry, ad roll that tapestry up into a little ball.

Hel imagined a loom, and weaved the energy together, she opened her eyes to see a little ball of energy in her palms, "Father! Father! Look! I've done it!"

Loki smiled, green magic circled his daughter, like his, and when he gazed into her eyes, they were greener and showed power. "Yes, good job my dear, now, to release it in a calm manner, imagine snowflakes coming from your hands, each individual flake in a small bit of energy. We do not want a blizzard, but a small flurry, I will not teach you how to use your power as a weapon yet, but in time you will learn."

Hel did as her father asked, and the power was slowly released back into the world.

"Excellent, would you like a reward?" Loki asked, he knew how important praising good behaviour was, he had rarely gotten it as a child, and he wanted to make sure Hel didn't end up the way he did.

"Yes please, father!" Hel replied, climbing onto Loki's lap.

Loki blinked in surprise, Hel would normally accept the words of praise, and decline any offer of a prize, Loki smiled, the acceptance of the reward meant Hel was truly proud of herself, "Well then, what would you like my princess?"

"A story," Hel said, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Of course, let me tell you the story of the origin myth of the god named Loki," Loki said with a smile, "The giants of Jotunheim wanted a new land with resources they could use, therefore they wanted to conquer Midgard, land of the humans, but they did so in a wrong way, by massacring the defenceless humans. Odin was forced to rescue the Midgardians, which meant he declared war with the Jotuns. Amidst the war, a Jotun babe was born, the child's name was Loki. Loki was born to the giants Farbauti and Laufey on Jotunheim, Farbauti and Laufey were the rulers of Jotunheim. To keep Loki safe, Laufey, his mother, set him on a temple and left to help with the war. Though she did this, she never got to see her baby again because Odin won the war and killed both her and Farbauti. Before Odin left Jotunheim though, he went to the temple and found the babe, he decided that since the babe was too small to be a worthy giant, it had been left to die, Odin brought the babe to Asgard, and raised him as his Asgardian son," Loki finished.

"Father? Does that mean I am fully a giant?" Hel asked out of pure curiosity and without a hint of disgust or fear. The Asgardians were all taught at birth that the Jotun Giants were an evil species, but Hel did not mind, she knew she was at least half-giant, plus she knew it wasn't your looks or family that defined you, but your actions. Hel also knew of many half-giants who were respected and praised gods, such as her uncle Thor.

"Yes you are, but you know it is not your race or family that defines you, but who you choose to be. Now come my darling, it is dinnertime" Loki said as Hel got out of his lap.

"Before we go to the dining hall, can we bring some flowers to the cooks and servants? We are in the garden after all, and it would be impolite not to say thank you to them for their work," Hel said, always thinking for the servants. Hel knew that you should always be fair and kind to others.

"Of course," Loki said, taking out a knife from his sleeve, "Be careful, and don't take too many, the gardeners would not be happy if we ruined their plants," Loki added as he handed Hel the black and green knife, though Hel was young, she still knew how to use a simple knife from her sparring lessons with the Lady Freyja.