THE DARKNESS WITHIN US

by Mia Desiree

Author Note:

Welcome, welcome!

I decide to join the fun and add another Loki OC fanfiction. This story will start in their childhood and it will probably be awhile until we get into Thor storyline and so on. I'm not really well versed in Norse mythology, so I will depend on my own imagination on everything that was uncovered in the movies.

Disclaimer: anything you recognize from Thor movie is totally not mine.

Happy reading!

Their Fateful Meeting

There was a rare flower in Asgard that only bloomed for a day and everyone in Nine Realms always came to enjoy and celebrate their short life when they bloomed. Children were allowed to play and stay up late just for that day while the adults would hold a feast and drank to the night in the garden. Some of them were satisfied only by treasuring the view, some would take flower petals─ healers would use them for herbs while women believed they would help to nourish their beauty─ some, mostly little girls, would make flower crown out of it. Loki still remembered the first time he joined the celebration clearly in his mind. After all, it was where he met her for the first time.

He slipped away from the company of Thor and his friends, completely bored on their antics for a mock fight even all they did was swinging wooden sword around─ they were to start their sword lesson in three days and already Thor carried that sword everywhere he went. Loki too couldn't wait for the lesson, the start of his warrior life, but he didn't want to spend whole day playing around with his sword─ and ventured his way on the garden to find a secluded spot so he could finish the book he picked yesterday. Loki didn't dare to return to his room─ not when he had spent the whole week begging his parents to let him join the festive even though he was just recovered from two day of illness, only to return inside after few hours. The flower was intriguing but he couldn't see why people held a grand festive for this─ there were other flowers far more beautiful than this. Their short life span was not worth weeks of preparing the feast, in his opinion.

And that was how he first saw her, crouching hidden behind the bushes on the far east corner of the garden. At first he cared not for her presence, only glanced barely at her before settling down on his own corner under a tree and focused on his book. It was the only decent place in the garden he could find solitude for his book while still able to enjoy the festive. As long as she was quiet on whatever she was doing, he was content on sharing it.

Until he heard her scream of frustration that he finally looked at her, out of annoyance. He was about to tell her off when he saw her grabbed the flowers and threw them away in anger. "If anyone witness what you have done, you will be punished." Loki spoke out, causing her gasped and turned to him. Her cheek immediately colored in faint blush, not realizing that she had a company. "That flower, after all, is the reason we celebrate today."

Her blush deepened before she noticed the book on his laps and rolled her eyes, "I can't see why you're complaining. Reading a book in the height of the festive? You don't like it as much as I do."

"I don't see me destroying flowers out of frustration."

He watched in amusement as she opened her mouth, ready to argue, but lost her words when she realized he was right. So she settled on scowling and turning her back towards him again, while he vaguely heard her muttering something. His eyes curiously trained on her, wanting to know what she was trying to do now. He was about to lose his interest when he heard explosion noise─ almost unnoticed from the loud voices around them─ and she shrieked and moved away from her spot quickly. Then he could see a small fire erupted in front of her space containing the flower. "So not only do you try to take away their short life, you also want to lite them on fire?"

"I─ it's─ I just─ that's not what I'm trying to do!" she fumbled. Her face was still inflamed with embarrassment. She actually hoped he was already gone so no one witnessed her mistakes again. Her expression changed into a horrid one when he put down his book and walked over to her. "W-what are you─"

Loki didn't answer until he sat next to her and faced her, "what are you trying to do?"

"You're not going to tell the adults?"

He shrugged his shoulder, uncaring, "why should I? There are plenty others there for them to enjoy. So?" Had he not noticing her lips moved, he wouldn't know she was mumbling something. "I can't hear you."

"─I was trying to make the flower live forever!" She saw him tilting his head, clearly confused at her answer. Knowing what he would try to ask, she continued talking before he had a chance, "grandmother cannot come to the festive today so I figure out why not bring the flower to her so she can enjoy it every day."

"How? By burning it?"

She was about to snap at him when she noticed the mischievous glint on his eyes. It was clear there that he was just teasing her. "I found the book of magic father keep in his library. If anything can save the flower, it should be magic." She let out a strangled sound of protest when he took the book away from her without asking. He turned it over to read the cover before moving to the page she was just looking at. It actually contained simple explanation and pictures that even children like them could understand. "What?" she asked, noticing the dubious look on his face as he read the book.

"Can you even do magic?"

"Magic can be learned."

"Did you?"

She huffed and annoyed at the questions he kept firing on every sentence she said. "Must you counter everything I said?"

"I merely ask you questions. You don't need to be defensive like this." Loki defended himself. This girl was too snappy for his taste and reminded him of a certain girl following Thor around. Now that he looked at her properly, both girls also looked similar. "The book might be easy to understand but if you never learn magic, who say you can just make the flower live forever? No one ever did that before, which is why we still have this celebration, and─ why are you crying?!" he asked, panicked and slightly nauseated at the sight of tears in front of him. "Did I say something wrong? What?" When his mother scolded Thor and him every time they pranked their friends, she always told them that they shouldn't make girls cried even though girls were weak as Thor repeatedly countered. Last time when they made a daughter of an ambassador cried because they put snakes under her bed, their mother made them clean the hallway for a whole week. Since that incident, both Thor and him sworn never to make a girl cry again─ or at least made sure their mother never heard of it. And now he made a girl he barely knew cried and he didn't know why. "Would you please stop─"

His plea cut short as her wails became louder to the point that he had to move away in cringe. This was why neither he nor Thor wanted to play with girls. They cried at the slightest wound and when they did, it was always loud. Loud enough that someone would notice them if he didn't do anything soon. Loki glanced at the crying girl miserably, completely clueless on what he should do. What did father do when mother was upset last time? He vaguely remembered his father said something and then hugged her until she calmed down, then his own expression turned distaste. Must he do that as well? For a girl he just met? He didn't even do anything wrong!

She was furious at him, whoever he was. She was the first one using this corner. Then he just sauntered in and teased her for harming the flowers. Who was he questioning every move she made? What was wrong with experimenting on the flowers? Like he said, there were still plenty others in the garden that no one noticed what she did. And the way he spoke of her doing magic─ there were sorceress who were able to do such things in their youth and she could be one of them, whether she had learned magic before or not. She was so furious and embarrassed that her tears came out suddenly. She had to turn her head slightly from him because the edge of her lips twitched up in a smirk when he flustered up seeing her cried. Served him right! But when he did not do or say anything, she glanced at his direction slightly only to find that boy decided to walk away. "You're very rude, do you know that?"

Loki stopped and glanced at the girl, "I didn't do anything wrong. You just cries and don't want to stop. I'm not to take blame on this."

"If a true man sees a crying woman, he will comfort her. Mother said that all the time."

"Yet I still make you stop crying," he retorted back. "I come here to find a peace for my reading, not to be disturbed by your antics."

"I found this place first! You're the one who disturb me with your questions."

Well, she was right. She was on this corner place first when he came, practicing with her magic, although he wouldn't say she found it. This was the palace's garden, so technically it was his. If it was Thor instead, he would tell her off by telling her that he was a prince and he had right to do whatever he wanted in his palace. Loki did that also, basking in amusement and pride when they realized what they did and apologized profusely at him. But, as much as she annoyed him, Loki didn't want to do it to her. This was the first time someone argued with him instead of being afraid─ like the servants─ or mocking him─ like Thor and his friends. "Don't be snappy, I just want to know if you know what you're doing. You could have burned the whole palace instead."

"Not if you don't keep commenting on what I do!"

"I did not!" he said defensively.

She pursed her lips, seemed to think of something. "Well then, maybe you can help me find the right spell," she added brightly, "it's more interesting than reading a book, I promise!"

Loki stared at her calculatingly before shrugging his shoulder and returned to his previous spot beside her, "I suppose watching you burning the flowers seem like a good entertainment." He would not be able to even finish a page if she kept causing noise like earlier. Might as well join her trying to do an impossible thing.

"It was just one time," she huffed before turning back to her book, "maybe we can do this. What do you think?" She glanced to see frown adorned his face and went on defensive mode again, "what?"

"Nothing! Why does my expression offend you so much?"

"It is when you frown every time I say something! You don't need to look almighty just because you already learn magic."

It was wrong to lie but he could not deny a rare burst of happiness inside him. For the first time there was someone openly sulking and jealous that he had a talent she wanted, instead of mocking him. Even if that talent didn't actually exist. Oh Loki knew he could master magic easily for his mother was the best magic caster in Nine Realms but he never thought of learning that yet. Actually neither he nor Thor ever considered of learning magic, even though they grew up with their mother showing them little tricks before their bedtime. It's just that there were other more urgent lessons his father arranged for him and Thor to prepare them as the future King.

"Well? Don't be silent and ignoring me!"

"Let me─"

"Brother, there you are! I've been looking for you!" Loki's hand froze in midway of reaching out the book, sighing as his brother burst out from the bushes. Here he thought he would have more time alone before Thor realized he was gone. "I was completely crushed with only Sif by my side and it is unaccept─ oh." Thor stopped when he realized his brother had a company. He frowned, not recognizing the girl with his brother. Then again, for him, all girls in Asgard looked the same, except maybe for Sif. Now that he thought about her friend, he noticed there was something similar between those two girls. "Really, brother? Books again?" Thor rolled his eyes after noticing a book between them and another book discarded by his brother' side.

"Hello, brother," Loki said, bemused. While they shared the same enthusiasm on learning, Thor preferred to listen rather than read. That was why every time Thor found him lurking in corner and read, he would immediately try to drag him away to play. Sometimes if he was lucky, he could make Thor sat and accompany him instead.

"Well come on then. I need you for my revenge against Fandral, Volstagg, and Hodun!" Thor tugged at his brother's hand, forcing him to stand up, "come, brother!" He dragged Loki eagerly, not caring to ask if Loki's new friend would like to join them or if Loki wanted to spend time with them. After all, nothing was more important right now in his mind than to get his revenge on his close friends.

What kind of a brother Loki was if he didn't come to aid Thor when he was needed?

"Erendir! There you are, child!"

Loki turned around to find a woman approached the girl, her face mixed with disappointment, worried and relieved, probably the mother he thought. To his surprise, instead of looking guilty as most children did when their parents caught them doing something wrong, she displayed the same attitude like she did to him. Eyes rolling, scowling, and slightly retort back to her supposed mother. He watched the scene curiously before the bushes covered his sight completely.

So that was her name...

Frigga watched her youngest from the doorway, her face etched with worry. It was hard to miss the frown that had begun to find a permanent place on his face, especially when he was watching his brother from the shadow. Most importantly she noticed how his genuine smile gradually disappeared. Ever since All Father begun their training as a future king, she witnessed how the others begun to favor Thor more than him, with Thor as the first born and more likely to inherit the title. It didn't help as well that Thor outshone Loki as a better fighter and general, something that everyone believed to be essential skill as a future King of Asgard. And when All Father also began to pay more attention towards Thor, Frigga knew she had to do something before their youngest retreated into reclusion and refused to believe in himself. She had showered both boys with equal love and praise, but now she felt it was not enough for Loki to have her praise only. He needed something that separated him from his brother, to identify him.

"You should join them rather than watch from afar."

Loki glanced and smiled when he saw it was his mother who approached him. "Hello, mother," he greeted her with a hug.

"It seems fun."

He only shrugged. It didn't escape his notice that his mother seemed to drop by his quarter and always urged him to join Thor and his friends. Perhaps his mother still didn't used to the fact that it was hard to get along with Thor lately. They might be inseparable when younger but ever since the sword fight begun, he started to see how completely different he was to Thor. Not to mention he had a hard time adjusting to Thor's close friends, even if they grew up and played together.

"If you won't join them, maybe you would like to accompany me then."

"Do you need to go somewhere, mother?"

Frigga smiled and patted his cheek, "it's been a long time since I practiced my magic. Maybe you would like to watch it and also… learn it, if you'd liked."

Magic… That was one thing neither of them learnt. He knew Thor would never want to learn magic or even use it. For Thor, his strength was more than enough to make him win every match. He always mocked him when he used trick to defeat him, saying how it wasn't a valid win. What would Thor say when he found out about him learning magic? Would he mock him more? Loki glanced at his mother, unsure on how to reject her offer without hurting her feeling.

"Well? What do you think?"

But then he remembered her. That girl who tried to prolong the life of Tala flower, Erendir. How many seasons had passed since that day? He almost forgot about her and how her eyes shone in excitement when she thought he already learnt magic. The first time he had someone so interested in him. How could he even forget her? Though truthfully he was relieved that Thor found him at that time, so he was saved from embarrassment when she found out that he couldn't do magic. There are few years left until the next celebration. So when he met her next time, he would really know how to use magic. He had to be better than her if he still wanted to have her impressed and there was no better teacher than his mother in magic. "Yes. Of course I'd loved to learn magic, mother," Loki then answered with a big smile that surprised Frigga. She honestly didn't expect this level of excitement from him. Maybe she should have suggested it to him sooner if he was this eager.

"Let's go then."

Maybe when he met her again in the next celebration, he could surprise her with a spell that could extend the live of that flower.

Hope you like it and please let me know what you think. Thanks!