A/N: This is my very first fan fiction. It's a story I have had in my mind for a while, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the first chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, or any of their amazing characters. I only own my OC's.

ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE THE FIRST THOR MOVIE

CHAPTER ONE: Trampling through Gardens

I walked into the royal stables on Asgard and breathed in the sweet scent of fresh hay and the comforting smell of leather. I walked on down the aisle between stalls and stopped before the stall of a muscular gray stallion named Vedr.

I swung open the stall door and latched it tightly behind me. Vedr had a history of opening locks and getting out.

I brushed a thick black lock of hair out of his face and hugged his neck.

"How has it been? You doing fine?" I whispered. He nuzzled my shoulder and nickered, his ears perking up. I smiled and reached for the saddle blanket that had been set on the stall door beforehand. I smoothed out the woolen blanket that Frigga had made for me on my seventh birthday two years ago. The fine blue and green threads were stitched in a beautiful pattern. I swung the finely crafted dark brown saddle onto his back and fastened the straps. I coaxed the bridle into Vedr's mouth and patted his freshly groomed coat.

I took the reins in my hand and led Vedr out to meet my friends by the stable door, his horseshoes clicking on the cobblestone floor of the aisle.

I blinked my eyes rapidly to get used to the bright sunlight outside. Kaden was waiting with Hvítr, his white mare. Abarrane, my other best friend, was already seated on Eir, a bright copper stallion that had a tendency of spooking at any noise and starting a stampede of frightened horses.

"Hello, Haley!" Kaden called. He was wearing his usual golden colored clothes that shone in the afternoon sunlight. I stopped right before my friends and grinned.

"Ready to ride?" I asked. Kaden nodded, pulling himself into his saddle. I swung fluidly into Vedr's saddle and settled into the familiar seat. We started off down the cobblestone path at a slow trot, heading toward the entrance to Frigga's gardens.

"How is life in the palace?" Kaden questioned. I shrugged. "Same as ever. A boastful Thor and a controlling Odin."

"Don't let Heimdall hear you," Abarrane warned.

"It doesn't matter. He can hear us whenever and wherever," I responded. Abarrane just shook her head, her long blonde hair blowing in the slight breeze.

"I can't believe we're heading out to war next week," Kaden sighed. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair that was cut shorter than the average Asgardian's.

"And at only twelve years old, too!" Abarrane said sharply. She was sixteen and four years older than Kaden and me. She disapproved against us fighting at such a young age. But there was nothing she could do, short of going against the Allfather's wishes.

Suddenly, the sharp noise of a door slamming behind us echoed through the air with a sharp bang. I winced, knowing exactly what was coming.

Eir reared and bolted, Vedr and Hvítr quickly following suit.

I leaned forward in the saddle, my legs straightening as I stood up in the stirrups. I usually had to wait for Vedr to stop running by himself. He was too strong willed for me to stop him by simply pulling back on the reins.

I was fine until Vedr veered through the gate of Frigga's garden. I tried vainly to stop him, but he continued on with Hvítr close behind with Eir continuing to run down the road. Abarrane shouted something that was lost to the wind.

I shook my head as Vedr galloped through the perfectly trimmed flower beds, his huge feathered hooves catching in a couple plants. He jumped cleanly over a stone wall into another section. Hvítr stalled at the wall, not being a natural jumper.

I pulled back on the reins harder than ever. I wouldn't normally put this much stress on Vedr's mouth, but he had to stop before he damaged much of the garden.

He began to slow to a fast trot right when I saw a tall blonde figure up ahead, their hands planted in their hips.

Frigga grabbed hold on the reins, stopping Vedr in his tracks. She stared up at me with accusing blue eyes that were so similar to Thor's.

"What do you think you're doing?" Frigga asked with deadly calmness. "Look what you've done."

I turned in the saddle to see a path of crushed plants and crumpled flowers behind me. I turned back to Frigga, my excuse ready on the tip of my tongue.

"Eir was startled and he took off with Vedr and Hvítr following. I didn't mean for him to do this," I stammered quickly. Frigga narrowed her eyes. "You need to learn how to control your horse!"

Vedr shifted under me, his head hanging as if he knew he had done something wrong. I pulled in the reins tighter to hold him in place.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," I promised. Frigga heaved a breath and brushed some wind blown hair out of her face. "We'll see about that. You're banned from riding for a whole week."

"But that means the next time I'll ride him is to war! That is outrageous!" I protested. Frigga silenced me with a glare. "I mean it, young lady! Do not make me tell you again."

I looked away and nodded my head. I heaved a breath as Frigga held my reins so I could dismount. I got off and took the reins from her and turned Vedr to go back to the Stables.

"And you can clean up the library while you are at it!" Frigga called as I walked away. My boots caught on a crooked stone and I straightened up quickly, an exasperated look on my face.

When I made it back to the stable, stable hands came to take Vedr away to his stall and get him cleaned up. Normally I would groom him, but unfortunately I was grounded from doing so.

I walked out again and headed to the library to clean, meeting Abarrane and Kaden on the way out and telling them of my punishment. Kaden felt bad because he escaped punishment, but I told him he was way better off than me. Abarrane just rolled her eyes.

I walked through the twisting hallways to go to the large library. I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors and stared at all of the dusty books that were my duty to clean. I looked up to the ceiling for a second, as if I were wishing I would find a way out of my punishment.

Nothing presented itself.

I started on the books nearest to the door and worked back, sneezing every so often as the kicked up dust settled in my nose.

When I neared the back of the right side of the room, I saw Loki seated there, reading a novel and dresses in his usual green tunic and leather pants, black hair slicked back. I grimaced and walked by him. I almost made it to the next set of books when he said, "In trouble again, I see."

I stopped and muttered, "It wasn't my fault." I started to dust off the books while Loki gave me his signature I doubt it looks.

I glared at him for a moment.

"Vedr took off when Eir was startled. I might have trampled some of Frigga's garden."

"That garden is her pride and joy. You are lucky you got away with your body and mind intact," Loki said, turning a page.

"And now I can't ride for a week. A week!"

"That seems fitting. Could you not control your horse?"

"You know how he is, strong willed and stubborn. I couldn't get him to stop for nothing. He managed to jump the stone wall that's about your height."

"And you managed to stay on? I'm impressed," Loki said, inspected a paragraph in his book.

"What do you take me for?" I said sharply with a touch of sarcasm. "An amateur? I've been riding for nine years. I should be able to survive a jump like that."

"Well have fun," Loki closed his book with a snap. "I've got to go enjoy my freedom while you are stuck inside." He sauntered off, his tone light and joking. I made a face at his back.

"I saw that," he said as he left. I snorted. You can never hide something from a person with magic, and especially from the God of Mischief himself.

I angrily dusted off some particularly dusty tomes and managed to sneeze for what seemed like hours.

I brushed my dark brown hair off of my face for what seemed the millionth time. My lungs felt like they were coated with dust, and my purple tunic was encrusted with dust and some dirt from riding. I had finally finished the last shelf almost two hours after I had started. I blew some dust off of my hands and used my magic to send the duster back where it came from.

I walked briskly out of the library, for once happy to leave. I jogged past a window

Judging by the sun's position, it was time for dinner.

I entered the dining hall that was filled with long tables heaped with food. The hall rang with many voices talking merrily. I quickly found my friends and went to sit by them.

I swung my legs over the bench and sat down, heaping my plate with food. Kaden, who sat next to me, had already finished and was studying the tapestries that hung from the wall.

"Did you get in trouble?" Abarrane asked from my right side. I nodded, swallowing my bite of food. "Unfortunately, yes. I had to dust off all the books in the library and I'm banned from riding Vedr for a week."

"The next you'll ride him is in war," Kaden said darkly. I agreed quietly.

"Well, brighten up! It could have been worse," Abarrane said brightly. I pushed my food around my plate. "I guess."

Abarrane rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're just going to be in a mood, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. I have to go train."

Abarrane got up and walked out of the hall, her blue eyes giving me one last look. I ate one more bite of my food and pushed my plate away. "I'm just not hungry."

"I'll finish that for you, then." Kaden happily dragged the plate over to him and began to eat. I watched him, amused. Kaden was shaping up to match Volstagg in his consumption of food at this rate, and Volstagg was quite the eater.

"I am going to go," I said softly. Kaden nodded, not pausing in his gorging. I shook my head and got up to go back to my chambers.

I passed by Thor laughing and talking loudly with his friends. Sif was there watching Thor's every move. I snorted. She definitely had a thing for Thor.

Hogun was sitting next to Thor, acting his usual quiet self. Volstagg was drinking heavily from a flagon of ale, and Fandral was flirting with a couple of daft blondes. I gave a tight smile when Sif waved.

I rounded the corner to get to my chambers. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my leather pants and tried to banish away the aching pain in my chest. Vedr was my best friend besides Kaden and Abarrane, and being banished from him for a week was like taking a piece of my heart away. I simply couldn't handle it.

I wearily opened the door to my chambers and collapsed onto a couch. I looked,over at a stack of books that I was currently working through and took the top one. The spine read Beasts of the Nine Realms. Might as well try it.

Eighty pages into the book and two hours later, the door to my chambers opened. Thor entered, still smiling widely and laughing,

His smile quickly disappeared when he saw my unhappy face.

"I heard about your trek through Mother's gardens," Thor began. I turned on my side and finished my sentence on wild dragons. I shot him a quick glance. Thor was the last person I wanted to see today.

"It wasn't really a trek. It was more like a charging bilgesnipe," I muttered. Thor raised one eyebrow and sat down heavily in a chair. I heaved a sigh and pushed myself up into a sitting position.

"And what is your point in coming here?" I asked sharply. Thor missed the jab in my voice and answered, "I just wanted to see how my young adopted sister was faring."

"I am faring just fine. You can leave now," I said impatiently, my stomach twisting a bit at the word adopted. Odin and Frigga had taken me in after my mother had been killed in a house fire when I was three years old. I was raised as their daughter, but outside the palace employees no one knew who I was. To everyone else, I was just a poor, unknown peasant girl.

Thor shrugged his massive shoulders. "Whatever you say. Have a good night, Hailey."

"Good night, Thor."

He shut the door harder than he needed to. I went back to my book. I was so distracted in my thoughts that I read the same paragraph several times. I closed the book, marking my page with a yellow felt strip of cloth and got up to change for bed.

After I had washed my face and changed into some nightclothes, I crawled under the covers of my bed. I stared at a weak moonbeam of light hitting my wall for a few minutes until my eyes closed and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

Just a quick bit of information: Haley, Kaden, and Abarrane are all authentic Norse names. Haley means "fields of wheat", Kaden means "Son of Caden", and Abarrane means "mother of multitude". Their horses' names are all based off of old Norse words. Eir is copper, Vedr is storm or wind, and Hvítr means shining.