You sighed as she walked behind the Royal Carriage, head held low, covered by your crimson hood. Your older brother walked beside you, head held high and back straight, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he walked confidently after the carriage holding your king father and his new queen.

"Stop sighing Nia!" Val snapped. "At least smile for five minutes, do you want to shame father?"

You glanced up at your brother, and stretched your lips into a weak smile.

"You must be able to do better than that." Val reproached.

You stretched your smile wider, and her brother nodded in satisfaction. You turned your head back to the front of the procession, keeping your fake smile in place. You were not happy. Not happy at all. It was a wonder you could even muster up the will to follow her brother's instructions.

Your mother had died not seven days before, and then you are informed your father is sending you away to Asgard for finishing school. Your family had received an invitation to the Royal Academy for Young Maidens from Queen Frigga herself, and there was no way you could decline such a request, even if you wished to.

Despite this swift and sudden change, you were expected to not show any sadness. A Princess, your father said, was a beauty worthy of the Gods' envy, and should never frown. Not that he thought of you as a beauty, but it was the principle that counted. Princesses were to be seen, not heard, and as such what one should always see was radiant happiness and grace from a Princess, and nothing more. It was a lesson you had learnt well over the years, so much so that it was hard to feel anything anymore.

You hadn't even cried when your mother had died, fearful of what your father would do to you if you shed tears in his presence.

The royal procession stopped, and your kingly father and his wife left the carriage to ascend the golden stairs to the palace of Asgard. You and Val followed behind, and you wished more than ever that your twin sister Lia was here with you. Lia hadn't been able to come home for the funeral, she was busy tending to her new kingdom, having just recently been married off to the Prince of Vanaheim.

"Your smile is lacking sister of mine." Val muttered icily to you. "Fix it at once."

The sad thoughts were beginning to show on your face, and you were quick to widen your smile once again as you both approached the end of the stairs, greeted by the All-Mother herself. The foreign royal family bowed to the All-Mother as she welcomed you all.

"King Hal of Panaheim, I welcome you and your family to our humble kingdom. Please be welcome among us." Frigga smiled.

"Your graciousness is almost as great as your beauty my queen," your father bowed low as he spoke, despite the fact that he was lying through his teeth. "We are honoured to be among the royal family of Asgard."

"The honour is ours. I understand condolescnes are to be given for the recent death of your dear wife, and also congratulations on your new marriage King Hal." Frigga said.

"Indeed, the blow to our family and our kingdom has been great, but I am confident my Queen Isil will be able to fill the void left by my previous wife." King Hal replied.

"I endeavour to be as kind and gracious a Queen as you my lady," Isil smiled, curtsying to the All-Mother.

"You are too kind Queen Isil. And these are your children King Hal?"

"Yes. May I introduce my firstborn, my son Val, Crown Prince of Pannaheim."

Val stepped forward, bowing graciously before the queen.

"I am greatly honoured to be in your presence All-Mother. Long may you and King Odin reign." He said.

"A pleasure Prince Val." Frigga smiled. "And this young lady is your daughter?"

"Ah, yes. Nia." Hal sniffed.

Looking nervously to your father, you stepped forward and curtsied to the queen.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Queen Frigga. Your realm is so beautiful, I've never seen anything like it." you said quietly.

"I am sure your realm holds beauties that are not found even here my young princess." Frigga said warmly.

"Do speak up when you address the All-Mother girl." Hal said stiffly, looking down at you. "You must forgive her your Majesty, the girl has not been quite right since the death of her mother."

"Not that she ever was quite right in the first place." Val muttered.

Frigga shot Val a disapproving look, but it went unnoticed as she smiled back at King Hal.

"It is of no consequence. It is understandable given the circumstances, I am sure she will recover from her grief in due time. My husband wishes me to tell you, that you and yours are welcome in all areas of our palace except the court room if he is in court. We would be delighted to have you join us for the evening meal, in the meantime my handmaidens will see you to your rooms."

A kind-looking maid gestured to you, and you followed her down a hallway in the opposite direction of your family, for which you were grateful. On your journeys you noticed the vast stained-glass windows lining the marble hall, filled with stories of Asgardian history. You stared in wonder.

"That was the first thing I noticed when I arrived in Asgard too."

You turned you head to see Queen Frigga had joined you. You smiled slightly.

"Now that we are away from the rest of your family, perhaps we could have a proper introduction my dear? You will after all, be living here for a while, it is only right we should be well acquainted." Frigga said.

"I am afraid I am no one special Your Majesty." You replied.

"That remains to be seen my dear," Frigga smiled. "I hope you will enjoy your time here, please think of the palace as your own."

"Thank you All-Mother, that is generous of you. I have no doubt I will love your fair realm, it is as grand as I have read." You answered.

"You like to read child?"

"We have a rather small library in the palace at Pannaheim, but it is where I like to spend the majority of my time. I love to learn new things, I can only imagine what lessons lie in Asgard." You said, feeling very much at ease around Queen Frigga.

"The pursuit of knowledge is worthy goal." Frigga nodded. "Is there a particular field of study that fills your passions?"

You pursed your lips in thought.

"History is a great passion of mine." You said. "As is the theory of healing magic."

"Only the theory? You do not practise the healing arts?" Frigga asked.

"Women are not permitted to be Healers on Pannaheim Your Highness." You explained. "I am technically not supposed to even learn of the theory, but I have been fascinated by the art ever since I was small."

"I see. Well here on Asgard, women may study anything they wish. If healing magic is what you wish to learn, I will see that our head Healer Eir personally takes you under her wing while you are here as part of your studies."

You gaped in astonishment. "Oh Your Highness, thank you! That is such a generous gift!" you cried. "I will learn as much as I can while I am on Asgard."

"And glad I am to hear it." Frigga smiled. "Ah, here are your chambers for your stay. Make yourself at home young princess, and do not hesitate to call on me should you need something."

"Thank you All-Mother," you curtsied as you entered your new chambers. "I look forward to spending the evening meal with you."

"And I you child. Until later,"

You nodded to the Queen, and turned to inspect your rooms. They were very grand, like everything was in Asgard you were noticing. At home you had a lofty room in the east tower of the castle; nothing big or grand, but it was enough. This room – rooms rather, there were three in total, you discovered as you explored – were bigger than anything you had had before. There was a huge washroom with a large marble bath in the centre, a study with a beautiful oak desk and several large bookshelves, empty of books at present, and finally your bed chambers, with a beautiful four-poster bed and a large walk-in closet, filled to the brim with beautiful Asgardian gowns.

At once you went to the study to search for a piece of parchment to write on. You found some in a drawer, as well as a quill and an inkwell. You wrote a note to your sister, telling her how wonderful Asgard was, and signing it with a sending rune before using your seidr to set the paper on fire. The fire message would be delivered to your sister immediately, and you hoped she had time to reply before you had to attend the evening meal.

You decided to explore the palace before dinner. The golden halls made you feel at peace, knowing you could see and hear your brother coming from a mile away, you felt safe in the absence of your family as you wandered through the vast palace.

You hadn't been wandered long, when suddenly, as you rounded a corner, you were slammed into by something large and heavy, and fell backwards onto the ground, the object falling down on top of you. You opened dazed eyes to see a pair of green eyes staring back at you. A person had run you over. Your eyes widened in shock.

"Norns! I am so sorry my lady I did not see you there." The person was quick to leap to his feet, and in turn hold out a hand to help you up.

You took the offered hand and got to your feet shakily. The green-eyed man looked at you in concern.

"Are you quite alright my lady? Nothing is broken or bruised?"

"I…I think I'm alright." You said dazedly, looking over yourself.

"I apologise deeply, I was not paying attention to my surroundings." The man said.

"Oh, no that is quite alright. Nothing is broken, no harm done." You smiled.

"You are as kind as you are beautiful my lady," the man smiled back.

"If you say so, my lord…?"

The man blinked. "You do not know me?"

"I confess I do not, we have never met." You replied.

The man opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was interrupted by a booming voice from down the hall. The noise made you jump in fright, the booming sound threatening in the distance.

"Forgive me my lady, but I fear I must ask to take advantage of you once more." The man said. "I must hide from the coming brute lest I lose my life, will you help me make my escape?"

"What did you do?" you asked wide-eyed.

The booming voice came again, and the man smirked slightly.

"I just played a little trick on the future king of Asgard." He replied.

You gaped. Your father would be furious if he found out you helped a scoundrel responsible for angering the crown prince of Asgard. But something in you wanted to offer your assistance to the dark-haired man. There was…something about him that intrigued you.

"What would you require from me?" you inquired.

"From you my lady, simply a small distraction." He answered.

The booming was getting closer now, and the man looked behind him worriedly. He looked back at you.

"Will you help me?"

"I…yes. I will."

"Excellent. Now take my hand, and do not give me away." The man took your hand and suddenly a dizzying feeling washed over you, and when you next looked around, you were standing in a garden instead of the hallway.

A flower fell from the tree above you, and as you caught it in her hand, you looked up to see the dark-haired man perched on a branch, effectively hidden from all angles but where you stood. As you footsteps of the booming man approaching the garden, you suddenly understood your role in this rouse.

There he was, Prince Thor of Asgard, striding towards her in the garden, looking this way and that, no doubt looking for the trickster. You swallowed thickly. His eyes landed on you, and as he stepped over to you, you stepped forward to meet him, obscuring his view from the man in the tree.

"Excuse me fair maiden, have you seen a tall, pale man with dark hair go passed this way?" he asked you.

You shook your head. The prince pursed his lips in disappointment.

"I see. I apologise for taking your time maiden. If you should come across the scoundrel, you would be wise to stay away, he is a dangerous fellow. Good day my lady."

You mutely curtsied to the prince, still too shell-shocked to speak, and watched as the golden-haired prince strode from the garden and down another endless hall. You squeaked loudly as the man in the tree jumped down from his hiding spot behind you. You turned to see him grinning at you triumphantly.

"My thanks beautiful lady. You have saved me a world of trouble." He said.

You raised an eyebrow at the man. "The prince said you were a dangerous fellow, and that I should stay away if I saw you."

The man chuckled. "My brother would say that. Long has he been envious of my talents."

Your eyes widened. Brother?!

"T-Then you must be –"

"Loki Odinson, second prince of Asgard. At your service madam." The prince gave an extravagant bow to you.

"I am so sorry Prince Loki, I did not know it was you, forgive me for my rudeness I had no idea!" you cried fearfully.

"There is no need to apologise my fair lady," Loki smiled. "The chance to meet you was my pleasure. You are new to Asgard, yes?"

You nodded.

"Then I gather you must be the Princess of Pannaheim."

"Yes. Nia, Your Highness." You said with a quick curtsey.

"Princess Nia, how lovely to make your acquaintance." Loki bent, and took your hand, bringing it to his lips.

You flushed beet read. "A-And I you Your Highness."

"Please, Loki is fine." Loki said charmingly. "You are to be living in the palace after all, it is only fair we be on first name basis. Would you permit me to escort you back to your room? Dinner will be served soon."

You nodded, and the prince walked you down the hall.

"Tell me, how are you finding Asgard so far?" Loki asked.

"It is very beautiful. And everyone has been very kind to me." You answered truthfully.

"I am glad you like it." Loki smiled. "Would you tell me of your realm Princess? Few in Asgard have travelled to Pannaheim."

"My home is surrounded by a treacherous sea." You said. "Those in Pannaheim live on high peaks, like islands dotted about the ocean. It is often cold due to the breeze coming off the water, and the mists created by the high altitude and the waterfalls that surround our islands."

"A precarious realm indeed. Your people must be quite resilient to flourish in such a place." Loki replied.

"Pannaheim provides what we need if you know what to look for." You smiled. "Sadly I don't get to see much of my homeland."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"The people of Pannaheim rely on wings to travel between islands, hence the name of our realm. But I was born very sickly, and my wings never developed right. They are not strong enough to fly, so my father had me confined to the palace for my safety." You sighed.

Loki nodded in understanding. "My sympathies. But if I may Princess, if your father is so worried for your safety as to confine you to the palace, why has he agreed to let you travel to Asgard for your education?"

"That is a question you will have to ask him. I can only guess it is because I have no need to fly to travel here and would be in no danger from falling into the sea or damaging my wings."

Loki nodded. He bid you farewell when you arrived at your rooms, and you headed in to get ready for dinner. You shed your heavy cloak that hid away your wings from the world, and carefully stretched them out. The purple and blue colour shone dimly in the fading sunlight, but their colour was paler than most wings were, a sign of their sickness. You supposed your interest in healing magic stemmed from the desire to heal your weakened wings. A Princess of Pannaheim that couldn't even fly was a shameful disgrace. Probably another reason why your father had sent you away to Asgard.

You folded up your wings behind your back again and searched your new wardrobe for a suitable gown. You selected a lilac dress, and donned golden sandals with the ensemble. Your new Aesir maids sat you down and tended to your hair and makeup, before you once again donned your cloak and headed out, directed by her maids, to the banquet hall.

The palace had two main dining halls, one for public banquets and celebrations, and one for the royal family to share meals together. It was this dining hall that you made your way to that evening.

"Ah, the fair Princess Nia has joined us. Welcome my dear," Frigga smiled as she entered. "I am under the impression that you have already met my sons, Loki and Thor, earlier this evening."

Thor blinked when he saw you, recognising you from the gardens, before taking in what his mother said and turning to Loki accusingly, to which the raven-haired prince just smirked at him deviously. You swallowed thickly, thinking of Thor's anger at having realized you had tricked him earlier. You were given a seat in between the two princes, much to your discomfort, and the meal began.

"Princess Nia, I did not know your face before, I apologise. It is good to know it now." Thor smiled at her.

You smiled back. "It is alright Prince Thor, you were preoccupied at the time."

"Yes, that was a dirty trick Loki, forcing a fair maiden to lie in your stead." Thor frowned at Loki, who merely shrugged in response.

"It is not hard to fool you brother, and how did you know the princess helped me at all? For all you know I could have happened upon her just before dinner."

"Is that likely though? Knowing you, I think not." Thor replied.

"I am surprised you even had a thought in your head let alone knew how to utilize it." Loki said listlessly.

"Boys, enough." Odin said sternly.

Loki kept his eyes on his food, while Thor nodded in apology and turned to his own food.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to cause such problems." You said sorrowfully.

The princes looked at you in surprise.

"My dear princess you have done nothing wrong, my brother and I merely have our difference is all." Loki said.

"Differences indeed." Thor snorted.

"Yes, like how I prefer to use my head while Thor prefers to beat at the problem until it goes away." Loki retorted.

"If we waited for your head to come up with a solution Loki we all would have died centuries ago." Thor replied.

"Yes quite, just like in Joutenheim when I used my magic to create a smoke screen so we could escape that ambush, while you favoured standing and attacking the overwhelming odds. Or that time in Vanaheim when I flood the river to wash away the enemies supplies while you favoured to attack them head on, or when –"

"You have made your point Loki, enough." Odin cut in.

"Very well father." Loki shrugged.

You turned curiously to Loki. "Have you been in many battles Prince Loki?"

"Thor more so than me. I prefer to avoid senseless violence when possible." Loki replied.

"You are a strategist then." You assessed.

"A strategist?" Loki questioned.

"That is what they are called in my realm. They are warriors of great renown, for their skill is mapping out the battlefield and manipulating the battle just so to get the better of their enemy. Any soldier can fight, but a strategist visualizes his attacks, and is always three steps ahead of his enemy. They are very valuable in my realm, strategy is important for any conflict that occurs on our difficult terrain." You explained. "You have a gift of brilliance Prince Loki."

Loki took in your words, and smiled, almost glowing with pride. Your praise had pleased him, and he looked at you with admiration.

"I thank you for your kind words princess. In Asgard strategists are not valued much. More so warriors like Thor, the strongest and the most enduring, not those who favour magic and diplomacy."

"But strategy is very important, surely Asgard sees the value of such warriors." You argued.

"Asgard has not the need for strategists as Pannaheim does." Thor dismissed. "We overwhelm our enemy with numbers and superior weaponry. We have no need for trickery and words."

"It is magic brother, not trickery." Loki corrected. "And it is of far more value than you seem to think."

Thor merely shrugged. You furrowed your brow slightly as Thor's dismissive nature, but you said nothing as you continued to eat.

"Has your magic won the day often Prince Loki?" you asked curiously, wanting to hear more about the Prince's seidr.

Before Loki could answer, Thor cut in. "Magic alone cannot win a battle, it takes strength of power to win the day."

"Then do tell me about your victories in battle Prince Thor," you said politely.

Thor grinned, and launched into an epic tale of he and his warrior friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Almost immediately you regretted asking, for he went on and on about his exploits, and though you nodded politely every now and then, in truth you had stopped listening ages ago. All of Thor's tales seemed to have one thing in common however, and that was himself and emphasising his skill in battle. Listening to the tales you were no doubt sure that Thor was a great warrior, but his self-obsession went beyond battle prowess and moved into arrogance.

Eventually though, the evening moved on and came to an end, with the royals bidding each other goodnight. As you went to leave for your chambers, Val came up behind you and gripped your arm so hard it bruised. You winced as he turned you around to face him.

"Father wants me to remind you as to why you're really here, sister of mine." He said threateningly. "And don't you forget it. Remember, I'll be watching."

He let you go and you scurried off like a frightened rabbit back to your rooms. You even went so far as to seal your doors with magic as you entered your room, shuddering in fear as you got ready for bed. There was a burning message on the desk, the flaming letters spelling out the message from your sister.

I hope you have a good time Nia. Write me often okay?

You smiled and sent the note away, leaving you totally alone in the darkened room. You went to the window and looked out over a beautiful courtyard down below. You didn't feel like sleeping yet, perhaps you could ask one of your maids to retrieve a book for you from the palace library? But you had no particular book in mind, and what if you did not enjoy the one your maid brought for you?

The simple answer was to find it yourself. You rang a bell by your desk that summoned one your Aesir maids to your door, and asked where you could find the library. Once you had the directions, you threw on a thick shawl over your nightgown, and headed out.

Using your seidr to make an orb of light to guide your way, you found the library soon after you left your room. Smiling to yourself, you ducked under the rope at the door and tiptoed into the vast network of books. You explored the shelves, holding up your light orb to read the titles as you walked by. There were just so many to choose from, what would you pick?

Then, a book caught your eye. You picked it up, and discovered it was about Asgardian history. Intrigued, you took your book and looked for a place to sit and read it. There was a small balcony with a cushioned seat on it nearby, and you sat down in the moonlight, looking over the glittering city and getting into a comfortable position to read.

You were up to the section explaining the creation of the Bifrost Bridge when your orb lost power, and went out, leaving you to read in the moonlight alone. You were very tired, having used too much magic for too long, so you let your seidr replenish and continued to read by moonlight.

"The Bifrost is made of stardust?" you read out loud. "How is that possible?"

"They say the first All-Father captured the stars themselves and tore the heart from them." A voice said.

You yelped in surprise, dropping your book as you quickly sat up and spun around to the sound of the voice.

"P-Prince Loki!" you cried. "I – I am sorry, I did not hear you."

"There is no need to apologise, I am only sorry I gave you such a fright." Loki bent and picked up the book, setting it gently back into your hands. "Enjoying a night read Princess?"

You nodded. "I – I should not be here, I'm not supposed to go anywhere without an escort – and the library is closed. I'm sorry, I will go back to bed –"

Loki cut you off by holding up his hand. You silenced.

"There is no need for that sweet princess. You are not unescorted, for I am here am I not?" he grinned wolfishly. "And there is no law forbidding you from entering the library when you choose, so there is no harm done, yes?"

You nodded impishly, your hands gripping the book a little harder than needed. You still felt in the wrong. Loki's grin faded at your silence.

"Forgive me for disturbing you Princess, I have frightened you. Do not be upset because of me, I merely wished to join you." He said humbly.

"Join me?" you tilted your head to one side curiously. "How did you know I was even here?"

Loki ducked his head slightly, as though embarrassed.

"I had, in fact, come by your rooms. Your maid informed me of where you went, and so here I came. Then I saw your light, and heard your voice."

"You came to my rooms? Why? Is there something wrong?" you asked urgently.

"No, nothing of the sort." Loki said soothingly. "I had wished to possibly steal your company for a little longer, we did not get much time to talk at dinner if you recall."

"I do. Prince Thor was telling me about his victories in battle." You paused, and frowned. "He talks very much about himself."

Loki chuckled quietly. "He does that, yes. Am I to assume you were not overly interested in his prattling?"

You opened your mouth to lie, and say you were very interested in anything the prince had to say, but something in Loki's expression made you feel like you could tell the truth, for once, without fear of repercussions.

"Not at all." You replied.

Loki's smile widened at your answer.

"I was wanting to hear more about your magical abilities, but I never got the chance when I had asked Prince Thor about his." You said.

"Truly? Not many are interested in the magical arts." Loki looked surprised, and in response you held up your hand, and willed your orb of light to return.

A look of understanding washed over Loki's face, and he smiled.

"You wield the seidr as well,"

You smiled, and nodded. "My mother taught me. What she could anyway, women of my realm are not permitted to develop their seidr beyond the basics."

Loki frowned. "An utterly ridiculous rule. You have a gift, you should be allowed to use it to its fullest potential."

You shrugged. "Things are different on Pannaheim."

"I am quickly discovering that, yes." Loki said disapprovingly. "But you are on Asgard now, and here women are permitted to do anything a man is. I could teach you to hone your powers, if you wish."

Your eyes widened. "You would teach me?"

Loki smiled. "Of course. It is not often that I find such a beautiful woman with a gift like yours, too often those with seidr squander what they have been born with, like my brother."

"Your brother was born with magic?"

Loki nodded. "He was trained, like I was, when we were children, but he has never used it, and over time he lost the ability altogether."

"I was not aware one could lose their seidr," you said.

"Only those of Asgard. We were not born to the seidr like your people or the Vanir. My mother is of Vanaheim, and it is from her my brother and I inherited the gift. Inherited seidr must be actively kept up or it disappears. Natural affinity like your own do not require constant practise to keep."

"My people all rely on some level of seidr to fly. It is said our seidr is our very essence, that which keeps my people alive." You said.

"The Fae are remarkable people to live with the very essence of magic in their veins." Loki replied. "If only my brother saw the value of such magic."

"He seems…very dismissive of things he does not agree with." You admitted.

"He is a fool. I fear for his reign as king," Loki brooded. "But that is not for me to decide. What of your own brother Princess? Does he fare better as Crown Prince than mine?"

You hesitated to answer. But you trusted Loki, for some reason you felt you could tell him anything.

"I honestly do not know. I do not see my brother much. He is always busy or away with our father. My sister and I never saw much of the men in our family."

"You have a sister?" Loki asked.

You nodded. "A twin, Lia. She just got married to the prince of Vanaheim."

"Ah yes, I remember the event. It was the talk of the court for a while." Loki said. "You must miss her."

"Very much." You sighed. "She was my best friend, we spoke about everything. Add to that with my mother's dead and I…I just feel so alone."

"Well my dear Princess, please consider me as a friend." Loki said with a slight bow. "I would be honoured to relieve you of your loneliness while you are part of my kingdom's court."

You smiled warmly. "You are very kind Prince Loki, thank you."

Loki smiled, and held out his hand to you. You took it, and he helped you to your feet.

"To you, sweet princess, I am simply Loki. At your eternal service." He said softly.

You glanced down bashfully, biting your lip with nerves. You looked back up at the prince, and felt butterflies in your stomach.

"Then I am just Nia, at your service." You smiled.

Loki kissed the back of your hand, without breaking eye contact with you. You felt heat rush to your cheeks.

"I would love to steal the pleasure of your company longer, but it is getting very late, and I would not wish for you to be ill-rested come the morrow."

You felt a flash of warmth over your body, and when you glanced around, you saw you were standing outside your door again.

"I bid you goodnight, and sweet dreams." Loki said, finally releasing your hand. "Have a pleasant rest, Nia."

"Thank you, and goodnight to you too, Loki." You breathed.

With a smile and a wave of his hand, Loki was gone in a mirage of golden light. You had to ask him how to do that. You looked down to see the book you had been reading still in your hand, and so you took it with you into your rooms, setting it on the bedside table as you got into bed.

You went to sleep with a smile on your face, thinking of the raven-haired prince and his dazzling smile.

-o-