p class="MsoNormal"Golden rays of light flooded through the library's windows, glinting off of the cover of the book Frigga held as she shut it carefully. She stood and returned it to its shelf, tucking it safely between its neighbors' covers. Her glance snuck over her shoulder at her young son, Loki, lying flat on his back with his legs splayed out on the ground, hands outstretched above him as he created the scenes his mother had just finished describing out of thin air. Frigga felt herself smiling against her own will./p
p class="MsoNormal""Loki, love, get up. I shouldn't even be teaching you about Midgard history to begin with. If your father were to walk in on you fantasizing about the tales of humans…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki smiled. His frosty blue eyes glinted with glee as small figures materialized out of nothing before him, dancing across the miniature sky above his head, golden clouds with Asgardians and humans alike, living amongst one another. Just like his mother had described it to him. Making peace together./p
p class="MsoNormal""How could father dislike this, though? It is our history, too. Our past. We are their allies, they are ours. They are fascinating, fun! How could he not adore them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Frigga knelt beside her son, the reflection of his shimmering gold projections cascading across her eyes. "It is a story for later, my love. A story for him to tell you. Come now, go get washed up for the evening."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki stood and watched his dream dissipate before him with a pang of disappointment. His mother stood in the aftermath. He smiled up at her and gave her leg a tight hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Thank you for the stories, Mother."/p
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"With that, he ran out of the library and down to the BiFrost./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;" /p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall knew the boy was coming long before Loki's little legs could rush him there. Without turning, the guardian of the rainbow bridge heard the boy's little running footfalls drawing closer, and his sputtering breaths of exhaustion became louder./p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"A grin pulled at the edges of his lips. Heimdall turned, raising a mischievous eyebrow at Loki./p
p class="MsoNormal""Another lesson, boy?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Can we look at Midgard again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"A deep chuckle escaped Heimdall. "Have you learned anything else about the Nine Realms yet? Or are we still on Midgard?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Still Midgard. Can we look now?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall shook his head in utter affection for the boy's hunger to see everything, still laughing quietly to himself. Loki didn't waste a beat, walking right up to the front window of the BiFrost's observatory and plopping himself down just to the left of the middle, where he always sat. His little elbows found the window's ledge and his chin came to rest on his pudgy palms./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall walked to the edge of his platform, allowing Loki to remain in front of him, alone at the very front of the observatory. Heimdall raised his palms out in front of him, moving them apart as if gently skimming the very top of a pond. The cosmos outside of the window rippled slightly, and amongst the ripples arose the image of a day in Central Park, New York City. The sun was setting, peppering the sky with stray stars against the backdrop of deep purple-orange bliss above towering skyscrapers. There were couples walking by, people sitting alone on benches, families playing in the grass. Loki could feel his soul sigh in wonder. His eyes flooded with admiration, a longing to spend a day there amongst beings that were nothing like him. He inquired about a few of the people he saw, and Heimdall answered./p
p class="MsoNormal"Silence passed between the two for a while as Heimdall allowed the young boy to simply admire. More people came and went from their view as the sun set./p
p class="MsoNormal"A small girl and her parents caught Loki's attention. She appeared to be 5 or 6, probably the same age Loki would look like to humans. Her and her father were playing in the grass. They laid with their feet pointing in opposite directions, their heads pressed together at the ear. They pointed up at the sky as more stars appeared in the dusty purple evening. Every once in a while, her father would play tackle her, and she would tackle him back and always win because he let her. The girl's mother sat quite a distance away from them on a bench, looking scornfully at the two. Loki was enchanted./p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall, who is that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall's head tilted in curiosity as he focused on the small girl. His brows furrowed./p
p class="MsoNormal""…Heimdall?" Loki turned slightly to face him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall disguised his confusion when Loki met his glance./p
p class="MsoNormal""The girl's name appears to be Jude."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki looked back at them, smiling along with her as she tackled her father once more and erupted into a fit of giggles./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched as they continued to play. He watched as the mother stood up from the bench, teetering slightly as she walked, fuming. He watched as the girl, slightly hesitant yet still gleeful, ran up in welcome to the mother. And he watched as the mother's open palm rose and came down as hard as it could, striking the girl's chubby little cheek. Jude fell to the ground and caught herself on her fragile arms. Her head was down, and it stayed down./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki's smile fell from his face. The father scrambled up from the grass and promptly began quarreling with the mother. Jude did not move. She simply sat on the ground, exactly where she fell, head still bowed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki glanced at Heimdall, who wore a grim expression now, and back at Jude, as if looking away from her would compromise her state./p
p class="MsoNormal""That was just play fighting, right? They were play fighting a minute ago. This is still pretend, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall didn't respond. Loki looked back at him, his hands now flat against the glass in front of him, pressing weight into the window as if Jude could perhaps feel him there. His expression shattered into heartbreak./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Like all beings, Loki, there are good souls, and then there are bad."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Silence. Loki looked back, his palms still against the cool glass. His thumb stroked back and forth like a windshield wiper, maybe trying to wipe away the scene in front of him and reset it, maybe trying to offer some comfort to a small girl who was too impossible far away and simple-minded to know he was there, or that he even existed and somehow cared for her well being./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her parents still fought. Dusk was in full force now. People strayed away from the scene as the fighting continued. Jude didn't move. But a darkness began to rise from her, a dull cloud of dusty gray-black, wafting off of her like a visible scent and being carried away into the wind./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki felt a lump rise into his throat as he watched. "Why is she bleeding black smoke?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall looked again at the girl. Nothing had changed about her./p
p class="MsoNormal""There's nothing there, Loki. Perhaps you see sadness coming from her. You are more sensitive to the emotions of others, after all."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah," Loki murmured. But he had seen sadness before. He had seen despair./p
p class="MsoNormal"This wasn't it./p
p class="MsoNormal"For weeks, months, years after that, Loki came in to see Heimdall and therefore see Midgard. He began asking for Jude more and more frequently until every visit would begin and end with checking up on her. Loki could not shake the visual. The sight of her sitting there, unmoving, giving off a cloud of dark nothingness. He felt responsible for her somehow. He felt he needed to know she was alright./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched her grow up, and in turn, he grew up with her. He watched as she went through life trying her best to make it her own. Birthdays, Christmases, Halloweens with colorful costumes. Broken bones. First crushes. Make-believe adventures with friends and then new friends. Bikes, dance classes, music. Middle school into high school. Boys, parties. College decisions, then the first apartment./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched when her father was killed in a car crash. He watched as she lost both of her grandfathers. He watched as she was left with no one but her mother. Her abusive, manipulative mother who, despite knowing her daughter was growing up now, still had her pressed tightly under her thumb. He watched as she desperately searched for affection that was sorely missing from her life, as she searched for it in low-life deadbeat men who left her battered and bruised, both physically and mentally. Through all of this, her cloud of black grew./p
p class="MsoNormal"That was when Loki started going to Earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He was old enough now. Any human who passed would probably guess he was in his 20s. Old enough to be on his own. Old enough to go to Earth and, without engaging with her, make sure she was safe from a distance while still being close enough to prevent anyone from touching her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Almost every night, he would come strolling purposefully down the bridge to Heimdall, that same determined gaze set in his eyes every time. He would look at Heimdall, but Loki didn't have to say anything anymore. He never went anywhere else. Heimdall didn't have to ask. But he would question nonetheless./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're sure?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki sighed impatiently. "Yes. I know, no engaging. I know, stay out of the way of people. I know."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall looked away "Loki, this is a bad habit. If your father knew…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""My father does not know and even if he did, I would not care about what he would have to say," Loki snapped, a growl behind his words./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall sighed in resignation. "I simply worry about you, Prince. I have concerns that there is… something more behind your motive to keep her safe, a random human, a simple mortal-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall, there is nothing, and I cannot even fathom why you would suggest such a thing. I have compassion, like any well-rounded being should. Is that such a crime?" Loki held out his hands, a plea behind his voice now./p
p class="MsoNormal"The gatekeeper closed his eyes and breathed deep. "It is not, Loki. Be safe in your travels."/p
p class="MsoNormal"With that, Heimdall opened the BiFrost. The hint of a grateful smile tugged at the edge of Loki's mouth as he took one last look at Heimdall before stepping into the BiFrost's light. He was gone, into the cold winter night on Earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall rubbed a hand over his face. He had tried to get Loki to confess his true motives countless times, but to no avail. He truly had no idea what he could be up to./p
p class="MsoNormal"But if it were love behind the trickster's actions… There was no saving him from his future now./p
p class="MsoNormal""Loki, love, get up. I shouldn't even be teaching you about Midgard history to begin with. If your father were to walk in on you fantasizing about the tales of humans…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki smiled. His frosty blue eyes glinted with glee as small figures materialized out of nothing before him, dancing across the miniature sky above his head, golden clouds with Asgardians and humans alike, living amongst one another. Just like his mother had described it to him. Making peace together./p
p class="MsoNormal""How could father dislike this, though? It is our history, too. Our past. We are their allies, they are ours. They are fascinating, fun! How could he not adore them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Frigga knelt beside her son, the reflection of his shimmering gold projections cascading across her eyes. "It is a story for later, my love. A story for him to tell you. Come now, go get washed up for the evening."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki stood and watched his dream dissipate before him with a pang of disappointment. His mother stood in the aftermath. He smiled up at her and gave her leg a tight hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Thank you for the stories, Mother."/p
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"With that, he ran out of the library and down to the BiFrost./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;" /p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall knew the boy was coming long before Loki's little legs could rush him there. Without turning, the guardian of the rainbow bridge heard the boy's little running footfalls drawing closer, and his sputtering breaths of exhaustion became louder./p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"A grin pulled at the edges of his lips. Heimdall turned, raising a mischievous eyebrow at Loki./p
p class="MsoNormal""Another lesson, boy?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Can we look at Midgard again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"A deep chuckle escaped Heimdall. "Have you learned anything else about the Nine Realms yet? Or are we still on Midgard?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Still Midgard. Can we look now?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall shook his head in utter affection for the boy's hunger to see everything, still laughing quietly to himself. Loki didn't waste a beat, walking right up to the front window of the BiFrost's observatory and plopping himself down just to the left of the middle, where he always sat. His little elbows found the window's ledge and his chin came to rest on his pudgy palms./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall walked to the edge of his platform, allowing Loki to remain in front of him, alone at the very front of the observatory. Heimdall raised his palms out in front of him, moving them apart as if gently skimming the very top of a pond. The cosmos outside of the window rippled slightly, and amongst the ripples arose the image of a day in Central Park, New York City. The sun was setting, peppering the sky with stray stars against the backdrop of deep purple-orange bliss above towering skyscrapers. There were couples walking by, people sitting alone on benches, families playing in the grass. Loki could feel his soul sigh in wonder. His eyes flooded with admiration, a longing to spend a day there amongst beings that were nothing like him. He inquired about a few of the people he saw, and Heimdall answered./p
p class="MsoNormal"Silence passed between the two for a while as Heimdall allowed the young boy to simply admire. More people came and went from their view as the sun set./p
p class="MsoNormal"A small girl and her parents caught Loki's attention. She appeared to be 5 or 6, probably the same age Loki would look like to humans. Her and her father were playing in the grass. They laid with their feet pointing in opposite directions, their heads pressed together at the ear. They pointed up at the sky as more stars appeared in the dusty purple evening. Every once in a while, her father would play tackle her, and she would tackle him back and always win because he let her. The girl's mother sat quite a distance away from them on a bench, looking scornfully at the two. Loki was enchanted./p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall, who is that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall's head tilted in curiosity as he focused on the small girl. His brows furrowed./p
p class="MsoNormal""…Heimdall?" Loki turned slightly to face him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall disguised his confusion when Loki met his glance./p
p class="MsoNormal""The girl's name appears to be Jude."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki looked back at them, smiling along with her as she tackled her father once more and erupted into a fit of giggles./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched as they continued to play. He watched as the mother stood up from the bench, teetering slightly as she walked, fuming. He watched as the girl, slightly hesitant yet still gleeful, ran up in welcome to the mother. And he watched as the mother's open palm rose and came down as hard as it could, striking the girl's chubby little cheek. Jude fell to the ground and caught herself on her fragile arms. Her head was down, and it stayed down./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki's smile fell from his face. The father scrambled up from the grass and promptly began quarreling with the mother. Jude did not move. She simply sat on the ground, exactly where she fell, head still bowed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki glanced at Heimdall, who wore a grim expression now, and back at Jude, as if looking away from her would compromise her state./p
p class="MsoNormal""That was just play fighting, right? They were play fighting a minute ago. This is still pretend, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall didn't respond. Loki looked back at him, his hands now flat against the glass in front of him, pressing weight into the window as if Jude could perhaps feel him there. His expression shattered into heartbreak./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Like all beings, Loki, there are good souls, and then there are bad."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Silence. Loki looked back, his palms still against the cool glass. His thumb stroked back and forth like a windshield wiper, maybe trying to wipe away the scene in front of him and reset it, maybe trying to offer some comfort to a small girl who was too impossible far away and simple-minded to know he was there, or that he even existed and somehow cared for her well being./p
p class="MsoNormal"Her parents still fought. Dusk was in full force now. People strayed away from the scene as the fighting continued. Jude didn't move. But a darkness began to rise from her, a dull cloud of dusty gray-black, wafting off of her like a visible scent and being carried away into the wind./p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki felt a lump rise into his throat as he watched. "Why is she bleeding black smoke?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall looked again at the girl. Nothing had changed about her./p
p class="MsoNormal""There's nothing there, Loki. Perhaps you see sadness coming from her. You are more sensitive to the emotions of others, after all."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah," Loki murmured. But he had seen sadness before. He had seen despair./p
p class="MsoNormal"This wasn't it./p
p class="MsoNormal"For weeks, months, years after that, Loki came in to see Heimdall and therefore see Midgard. He began asking for Jude more and more frequently until every visit would begin and end with checking up on her. Loki could not shake the visual. The sight of her sitting there, unmoving, giving off a cloud of dark nothingness. He felt responsible for her somehow. He felt he needed to know she was alright./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched her grow up, and in turn, he grew up with her. He watched as she went through life trying her best to make it her own. Birthdays, Christmases, Halloweens with colorful costumes. Broken bones. First crushes. Make-believe adventures with friends and then new friends. Bikes, dance classes, music. Middle school into high school. Boys, parties. College decisions, then the first apartment./p
p class="MsoNormal"He watched when her father was killed in a car crash. He watched as she lost both of her grandfathers. He watched as she was left with no one but her mother. Her abusive, manipulative mother who, despite knowing her daughter was growing up now, still had her pressed tightly under her thumb. He watched as she desperately searched for affection that was sorely missing from her life, as she searched for it in low-life deadbeat men who left her battered and bruised, both physically and mentally. Through all of this, her cloud of black grew./p
p class="MsoNormal"That was when Loki started going to Earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He was old enough now. Any human who passed would probably guess he was in his 20s. Old enough to be on his own. Old enough to go to Earth and, without engaging with her, make sure she was safe from a distance while still being close enough to prevent anyone from touching her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Almost every night, he would come strolling purposefully down the bridge to Heimdall, that same determined gaze set in his eyes every time. He would look at Heimdall, but Loki didn't have to say anything anymore. He never went anywhere else. Heimdall didn't have to ask. But he would question nonetheless./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're sure?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Loki sighed impatiently. "Yes. I know, no engaging. I know, stay out of the way of people. I know."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall looked away "Loki, this is a bad habit. If your father knew…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""My father does not know and even if he did, I would not care about what he would have to say," Loki snapped, a growl behind his words./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall sighed in resignation. "I simply worry about you, Prince. I have concerns that there is… something more behind your motive to keep her safe, a random human, a simple mortal-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Heimdall, there is nothing, and I cannot even fathom why you would suggest such a thing. I have compassion, like any well-rounded being should. Is that such a crime?" Loki held out his hands, a plea behind his voice now./p
p class="MsoNormal"The gatekeeper closed his eyes and breathed deep. "It is not, Loki. Be safe in your travels."/p
p class="MsoNormal"With that, Heimdall opened the BiFrost. The hint of a grateful smile tugged at the edge of Loki's mouth as he took one last look at Heimdall before stepping into the BiFrost's light. He was gone, into the cold winter night on Earth./p
p class="MsoNormal"Heimdall rubbed a hand over his face. He had tried to get Loki to confess his true motives countless times, but to no avail. He truly had no idea what he could be up to./p
p class="MsoNormal"But if it were love behind the trickster's actions… There was no saving him from his future now./p