Author's note: This is my first Asgard fanfiction. I realize that not everything I reference is going to be accurate or true to the comics, movies, or lore. But this is what I made of what I know and I hope you enjoy it!

Prologue:

My first memories of Asgard…

It was spring. My mother said we were going to visit a friend of my father's. Dad had died when I was just a baby. I don't remember much about the trip there. I just knew that for such a long way, it didn't take long. I remember a kind, beautiful woman who took me by the hand and walked with me through a garden while my mother talked with a man who had a patch over one eye.

It was nothing like our little house in the city. I was used to buildings all around and concrete, smog and noisy traffic. We had a tiny backyard with dead grass and one rose bush. But in this place there was grass, flowers like nothing I'd ever seen, the sky was a brilliant clear blue, and there were people – but they all dressed similarly and they were quieter than those back home who rushed around yelled at their neighbors. They were happier. No noisy cars filled the streets. People walked or rode horses.

We stopped beside a fountain. I can still picture the colorful fish inside, hear the birds singing along with the babbling water. Beyond it, a golden castle loomed over us, like something out of a storybook. I could hear the pretty lady assuring my mother that I would be welcome and safe. Mom said I was going to stay and learn about my father's family for the summer. She told me not to be afraid. How could I be afraid in a place such as this? Especially after I made my first friends.

The first was an energetic boy with blond hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes as bright as my own. He smiled broadly as we were introduced. Thor, as his name was, seemed overjoyed at the idea of having a new friend for the summer, as he said his brother was sometimes quite boring.

His brother, as if on cue, stepped out from his place beside my new-found "Aunt Frigga." Loki's hair was black and he was paler and slighter than his older brother. He moved with purpose and took in the scene quietly. Where Thor looked confident and in total control of the new situation, Loki hesitated. I'd seen that look before; I myself had mirrored it more than once on the playground, when approached by some of the older kids who liked to be in charge. I liked him immediately.

When my mother left, she seemed unsure about the arrangement. But I couldn't get enough of the castle, the horses, the fresh air. Within a few days, I'd adjusted to my new home, listening with rapture to Aunt Frigga's stories of Asgard, my father as a young man, and his adventures with Odin. She taught me about those strange thoughts and sensations I had sometimes – turns out it was magic, my father's magic! She taught me how to do things with it. Taught me to hide it when I go home, but to never fear it. She said it made me special. Sometimes at night she would take me to a rooftop and show me the stars and planets – she knew each by name! She introduced me to the great gatekeeper Heimdall who looked at me kindly and welcomed "Lady Kasey Alara" to Asgard.

After my day's lessons I was free to roam wherever Loki and Thor went – as King Odin's guest, I was protected and treated the same as his sons.

Much to Thor's disdain, I excelled at my outdoor lessons, proving to be a worthy competitor in our games as well as a skilled horseback rider. I knew he was disappointed that this half-human, half-Asgardian girl was able to best him. But Thor looked after me like I was a sister, never allowing any of the other children – or adults for that matter – to say I didn't belong or couldn't do something. He'd have challenged a Bilgesnipe for me if need be. Thor was always ready to remind me that I could do anything I wanted to do.

But sometimes I preferred more quiet afternoons. That is when Loki took to showing me all the secret places of the castle and grounds. There was a hidden room just off the east wing of the library, a hidden passage into the kitchen that granted us many a secret treat, and a crumbled wall overgrown with ivy kept us within site of the great hall, but concealed enough so one could sneak out for a bit of air. The best time was while playing hide and seek with Thor, knowing he'd never look at the details enough to find us and we'd sneak off to one of our secret places where we'd talk and scheme for hours before showing pity going to find him. In no time at all, I had found my favorite places to read or simply enjoy time by myself – the wide window seat in my chambers, the library, the balcony on the west side of the castle, or most often the fountain where I liked to sit beside a rose bush and read alone. Alone, until I became lonely and somehow Loki always showed up right when I needed his company.

That is my earliest and dearest memory of Asgard: warm summer days by a fountain, talking and laughing with Loki Odinson.

Chapter 1

Kasey's POV:

Asgard celebrations are something to behold. I remember one in particular, my fourth summer there. In human time, I was about twelve – and in Asgard, just months younger than Loki.

It had been a difficult spring, having just moved again, so my mother let me come a few weeks early. On earth, we kept moving to new places, owing to the fact that my half-Asgardian heritage made me age differently than other children – something people tended to notice. At first I didn't mind; I liked seeing new places and meeting new people. But this time I had to give up friends…with no explanation as to why I was moving or where I was going, and knowing that I would never see them again.

It was time for Asgard's annual summer festival, and that meant celebrations, music, contests, a feast at the end of the week and this feast at the beginning. Aunt Frigga insisted I trade in my pants, boots, and blouse for a dress and shoes. The dress was ice blue and just brushed the floor over my grey shoes. Silver beading adorned the hem and she braided my black hair. I'd never had such a beautiful dress. But I never cared to stand out too much from the boys either.

Narrative:

Young Lady Kasey was announced and as she entered the Great Hall, scurrying away from the crowd's eyes as soon as she guessed it to be polite. There were drawbacks to being considered equal with Odin's sons – being announced to a party full of adults was one of them.

"Kasey! There you are!"

A young Loki ran over to Kasey, stopping to wrap her in a hug. "Mother said you were coming early this year. I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Loki." Kasey smiled, her nervousness melting away at the sight of her best friend.

"What about me? Did no one miss me?" Thor demanded, as he dodged through the crowd to join them.

Loki rolled his eyes. "How can anyone miss you? You never give anyone any peace."

Kasey giggled and Thor glanced at her, his mouth falling open.

"What?" she asked.

"Wow, Kasey. You look like a girl."

"Oh, well spotted, Thor."

"Come on, you know what I mean," Thor backhanded her arm playfully. "You're usually all over the grounds with the two of us, not acting all…princess-like."

"Why don't we find a place to sit and catch up?" Loki suggested. Something in Kasey's face made him think she didn't take Thor's comment well.

The three found seats and tucked in to their meals. Kasey found herself watching some of the young ladies: all in dresses, sitting primly, eating and laughing with handsome warriors. Just like the girls in her new neighborhood – pretty, delicate, interesting…nothing like her. No one liked the strange girl with dark hair who preferred jeans and boots, who talked of horses, who sat in her room alone, conjuring images of a castle and counting down the days until summer.

"Mother said you had to move again."

"Thor…" Loki warned.

"What? I just wondered what it's like."

Kasey shrugged. "Just another place, I suppose. There will be new place in a couple more years."

"Don't see why you can't just live here."

"My mother says it's important for me to know both worlds. She says Earth can teach me just as well as Asgard. And it's her home, after all…" Her voice trailed off, leaving her to continue to poke at her pheasant and peas.

A ruckus near the entryway grabbed their attention.

Kasey craned her neck to see a large number of warriors lining up before King Odin. "What's going on?"

"They're signing up for the race!" Thor answered excitedly, standing on his seat to get a better look.

"What race?"

"It takes a couple of days," Loki explained. "Odin's best warriors race across Asgard and back, across the mountain and the river and –,"

"Aw!" Thor exclaimed. "It's true! Sif's father really is taking her along this year! I thought she was joking!"

"It's a test of their strength and courage," Loki finished. "The first team back to the palace after retrieving the king's dagger from its hiding place is the winner and remains in a place of high social stature until next year."

"A race doesn't seem all that hard," Kasey barely had the words out of her mouth before Thor jumped back down and leaned eagerly across the table.

"It's not just about the time it takes, though!" he said excitedly. "There are challenges put in their way. Like obstacles. Some take physical strength, others require magic or logic to figure out. Hey, if Sif is old enough to go this year, perhaps father would let us go!"

Loki shook his head. "We'd have to be on a family team. And father has more important things to do. He'd never let us, anyway."

"But," Thor started.

"Anyway, seeing it takes magic as well as logic, I don't think this is the ideal year for you to sign up."

Thor glared at his brother and Kasey snickered. He grumbled something about Loki being smug and left the table to go get a closer look at the contestants. Kasey's eyes followed him away, once again catching a glimpse of the young maidens. Something in her stomach took a twist and she pushed her plate away.

"Shall we go outside?"

Kasey nodded and followed Loki out.

They wandered in silence until finally stopping beside the fountain.

"What's wrong, Kasey?" Loki asked quietly.

Kasey sat on the edge of the fountain and fiddled with a bit of her dress. Tears threatened from just behind her eyes, but she held them back. "Don't like the new place," she shuttered out at last, refusing to let herself cry. Again. She was so sick of crying.

Loki sat down beside her. "Can't you make friends?"

A tear escaped and dropped onto Kasey's hand. "Girls my age, on Earth…I'm too different. I'd rather talk about horses than the football team. I like to read, not go shopping or gossip. I'm the only girl good at all the sports. I…I'm not fun or pretty. Don't wear makeup or dresses…They just think I'm a freak."

Loki slipped his hand beneath hers and skimmed his thumb across the back. "Kasey, you don't need makeup or dresses. You're beautiful and smart."

Kasey looked up, doubt in her eyes. "But they all say…"

"Don't listen to them. They are heartless. You're pretty just as you are. And you are far valuable than what they say. Don't forget that, alright?"

Kasey forced a smile and nodded, wiping away her tears. A bit of doubt still nagged at her, but just as it came, she felt a something brush softly across her mind, coxing the doubt away until she was able to let go of it.

"What in nine realms are you doing out here?"

Thor's call made Kasey jump, barely catching herself from falling into the water.

Loki started to reply, but Thor kept going, "I asked father about the race."

"And?" Loki asked skeptically.

"He said we'd never be able to keep up."

"And he's right."

"But he never actually said no…" Thor looked at his brother, excitement and daring in his eyes.

"Oh, no. Thor, no! We can't."

"Come on, Loki! We are family, so we could be a team. We've been over that track before; we know where to go. And between the two of us, we could get past the obstacles."

"The two of you?" Kasey interjected, "what am I, a pheasant?"

Thor laughed. "Well no, but you are a girl."

Kasey jumped to her feet and punched Thor in the shoulder with surprising force. "Just a girl you mean?"

"Well, I…"

"If Sif can do it, I can!"

"But Sif's a warrior's daughter…"

"And I am Kasey Alara, Torin's daughter! I'll show you 'just a girl,' Odinson! Come on, Loki!"

Loki got up and followed Thor and Kasey back toward the palace, mouth open. "What…what's happening? We're not doing this, are we?"