Ok, I realize I should probably be writing for my other story, but this character kind of just popped up in my head today and simply would not leave. I had to get her out before I went crazy. This is just the basis for her story, and I'm not sure where I am going with it yet. Bear with me? *looks pleadingly at the screen*

Anja was not like normal girls in Vanaheim. She, unlike her sisters, was a tall girl with a dark complexion. Dark hair cascaded down her back in light waves and she often spent many nights trying to comb through its thickness.

In fact, that was what she was doing now, as she sat in her room looking out over the vast waters of her home world. Her father was the keeper of the books, the master of the Asgardian Library that had been placed in Vanaheim after the Great War between the Aesir and Jotnheim. Often times, she would keep him company while he worked, learning any and all bits of knowledge she could. Her sisters rarely showed during those long hours of tutoring.

To her left, a bowl of water sat, still and cool. She waved her hand over it, causing the still surface to tremble slightly. A small smile touched her thin lips as she pulled her fingers together as if she were pulling a thread and raised her hand up. A stream of water followed it out of the bowl to hover around her hand. Her smile turned into a grin as she circled the stream around and around her fingers.

Ever since she had been a child, Anja had possessed the ability to control the molecular levels of water. She knew –even from that early age- that it was the very basic levels of sorcery. She had never shown anyone her abilities for fear of being taken away from the library and placed in the realm of Asgard to be trained. She liked her books too much to even fathom leaving them for something else. She let the water settle back into the bowl.

With a huff, she tugged he long curls into a braid, preparing for the day. She slipped into her dress – a gown of silver that one of the maids had brought forth while she bathed. She felt the satin slip over her skin and she sighed. Her pale eyes took in her reflection in the mirror sadly.

She was not beautiful, like so many of the Asgardian women. Her arms and shoulders were broad, more fit for field work or fighting than sitting in court. Her other three sisters were every bit as different from Anja as she was from the Aesir. They were small, dainty creatures that spent hours merely learning how to apply rouge and eye liner. Their blond curls and porcelain skin made them the perfect candidates for marriage.

Anja had none of those features.

So it was with books that she found company. Books and her father. She dreamed of running the library one day, of one day calling it her own. In a way, she counted her physical lack of allure as a blessing. She knew that if she married, she would be whisked away from the library's grandeur that captivated her interest so.

She slipped into her slippers, grabbed the novel she had been reading and left her room. The stony hallway of the sleeping quarters stretched before her, leading to a flight of stairs that opened up to a courtyard upon one's descending them. She could hear the snore of one of her sisters trailing from the last bedroom. It was early yet, the sun had not yet come up. Of course, her sisters would be abed. Anja tucked her novel under her arm, and proceeded down the staircase, coming out to a cool morning.

She tread lightly across the cobblestones of the courtyard's walkway, reaching another door that would lead her to the right-wing of the massive library. A light in the topmost level's window indicated that her father was awake and already cataloguing the massive amounts of new information that came from the nine realms on a daily basis.

"Good morning, Father," she said when she made it to his office. She kissed the elderly man's cheek in greeting before sitting down across the table from him and pulling a stack of papers to work on.

"Good morning, My Love," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose to scrutinize her. "You look tired."

Anja nodded. For several nights now she had been having terrible bouts of insomnia. She had not slept well in weeks.

"Tis not good for the soul, my dear," he said, wagging a finger. "A young lady such as you needs her rest. I often times wonder if that is what took your mother from us at such an early age." Anja's mother had died in childbirth with the youngest of Anja's sisters. There had been little known cause for the sudden death, seeing as she was healthy for several days following the birth of her daughter, but out of nowhere, the healthy young woman had fallen deathly ill and died before asgardian healers could reach her. Anja's father had never been the same. Even now, she saw the old man's hand shake from the strain of keeping the quill in his hand steady.

Anja gave a half-hearted smile. "Yes, father," she said, humoring him. The two set to work in silence, passing each other what was needed.

"I have heard great things about Asgard's health benefits to young girls," he began. Anja knew what was coming next, and she wanted nothing of it. "I believe you- as the next in line to be married- should take the warm season to clear your head on the beaches of Asgard.

"Please, father," she said lightly. "I would fit in no more in Asgard than a cat with two heads." She knew what she said was true, even with her physical appearance aside. The women of Asgard were- or so she had heard- aloof, ostentatious, air-headed women that wanted nothing more than to wed one of the two princes that were in line to assume the throne. She, on the other hand, could not even remember which one was which.

"Anja," her father said sternly now. "I believe it is time for you to get out of the realm for a change. It will do you good."

Anja shook her head as she brought a stamp down particularly hard onto one of the scrolls, marking it as cataloged. "Father, please."

The old man looked over her spectacles at her. "Your eldest sister in Asgard has already arranged it, darling. She wrote to me explaining her husband's house. You have a place to stay, I suggest you take it while you can. You may not think it a good idea now, but I believe you should go. I will not be around forever, my dear. What will you do when I am gone? You do not want to be alone forever, do you? Your other sisters- when they come of age- will be married like your older sister. Who would you talk to? Who would keep you company?"

My books, Anja thought. My books would keep me company. But instead she bowed her head. If she continued to refuse, her father's health would not benefit from her stubbornness. "Just for the warm season?" she said carefully.

Her father nodded. "I believe you would enjoy it, Sweetling," he said as he placed the quill he was using back in its holder.

Anja sucked in a breath. "Fine," she said quietly. Her father nodded in approval before picking the quill up again and starting back into his work.

And…. Yeah. That's the beginning of a possible story, guys! Should I keep it up? I probably will after I am finished with 'Lie to Me,' but I need YOUR thoughts. :D and there will be a bit more character development should I continue, so fear not! I literally wrote this in under an hour, so I apologize for any errors.