Music is a gateway to other worlds; other times. Or so they say. For Taylor Stark, this was true, for today, she found herself in a faraway realm by the name of Asgard. She had been walking in the park earlier that day when she found a shard of crystal with a rainbow tint on the ground. Naturally, the blonde had picked it up, and she was instantly transported to another world. There, she had begun to wander around, until eventually, she had grown tired and sat down on a hill, her eyes turned up to the sky as she watched the clouds, soaking up the warm sunlight of the afternoon. Her art bag, which she'd had with her when she had found the crystal, she laid next to her. It didn't take long for the warm sunlight to make her sleepy, though, and within twenty minutes the young blonde was drifting off sitting, then tumbling down the hill she'd been sitting on. The pond at the bottom of the hill broke her fall, and she scrambled to swim to the top, but due to her disorientation, she couldn't. Her lungs had started to burn from lack of oxygen, but just before she started to succumb to the water, someone was grabbing her and pulling her out.
Taylor gasped for air the second she was free from the water, her wet curls hanging in her face and obstructing her view, along with the coughing fit she'd gone into. She had nearly drowned, though, so coughing and wet hair were the least of her problems. Once she could breathe again, she pushed her hair from her face and looked up, finally coming face to face with the man that had pulled her from the water. What she saw made her eyes widen, and made her question whether or not she had really been pulled from the water. In front of her was a mountain of a man with blonde hair that hung just above his shoulders, muscles that would've put The Rock to shame, and a red cape that would have made superheroes envious. He was smiling at her, too, but there was a hint of concern in his bright blue eyes.
"Are you all right?" He questioned, his voice making the blonde on the ground jump some.
"..I…I think so..." Nodding, the shock clear in her voice, Taylor moved to sit up, only to have the man in front of her offer her his hand. She felt a slight heat in her cheeks as a light shade of pink tinted the, then slipped her hand into his and pulled herself up, letting go of his hand the second she was standing. "Thank you…"
"My pleasure." The man smiled, looking Taylor over to make sure she was okay. Once he was satisfied, he introduced himself. "I am Thor Odinson. And you are?"
"Taylor Stark..." She offered Thor a small, sheepish smile, then reached up to start trying to squeeze the water from her drenched hair. While she dried it, she and Thor started to talk, and she explained how she had found her way to Asgard, once Thor explained that was where she was. He also explained that he would let her meet his father to speak with about her unusual way of finding the realm, but that there was a party going on that night, and that he wanted Taylor to meet him there. She, of course, accepted, and he sent her off to several female servants to get prepared for the party.
Hours later, Taylor was walking down a large golden hall, her long, white dress swishing at her feet. Half of her golden curls cascaded down her back while the other half was pulled into a bun, and her lips were covered in something that made them glossy, but she didn't think it was normal lip gloss. Music was guiding the young girl down the hall and towards the large golden doors that guarded the entrance to the ball room, where Thor had instructed she meet him. As Taylor approached the doors, they slowly began to open, the guards outside pushing them open for her. She took a deep breath and walked inside, her blue eyes growing wide at all the people. The room was huge, and it was full of people, food, drinks, and everything else one could imagine. The entire room looked like it was made of gold, too, save for the ivy that had clearly been growing around the columns that supported the roof for years. Once she was inside, the doors swung shut behind her, sealing her inside the ball room. She looked around a little more, then made her way to the punch bowl. Taylor searched the room with her eyes as she walked until she found Thor, and instantly her heart dropped into her stomach. He was with other woman, laughing and flirting; the way he'd been with her just a few hours ago. She looked down then, inhaling a breath to keep herself composed, and poured herself a glass of punch. She then took a sip of the drink and turned around, but as she did, a partygoer bumped into her, spilling her drink and their drinnk down the front of Taylor's white dress. The room seemed to focus on Taylor then, everything growing eerily silent as her eyes filled with tears. She bolted from the room only seconds later, running as fast she as could in the dress, just trying to get away from the party. She eventually found herself under a large, gold and marble staircase, and sat down, sobbing for what seemed like hours. She had been humiliated in front of everyone, and Thor hadn't even come to her aid like he had before. All she wanted then was to go home, but she didn't know how to get there. She still wasn't even sure how she had gotten to Asgard to begin with. Eventually, her sobbing subsided, and she was just sitting there, staring down at the purple stain on her white dress. She sighed some and went to move, but froze when she heard footsteps. Someone was coming.
Standing up, Taylor moved further into the shadows under the stairs, hoping they would conceal her from whoever was headed her way. That hope was gone, though, the second a man walked directly in front of her. He wasn't Thor, but he had a cape, too. His was green, though, and it matched his eyes, which were almost glowing thanks to how dark his slicked back hair was. She didn't speak, though, just staring at him as he stared at her.
"Are you all right?" The man spoke first. He seemed…concerned for her, even more so when she said nothing. "My name is Loki… I saw what happened back at the party, and I wanted to make sure you were all right..."
"…Taylor." The blonde finally spoke, though her tone was defensive, and her voice was rough thanks to her crying. She gestured to her dress before speaking again, crossing her arms and looking off to the side. "And no, I'm not all right."
"Ah… let me help you with that." Loki smiled at her and waved his hand, causing her dress to change a shade of green. The punch stain was now invisible, and Taylor's eyes widened; she'd never seen magic before. She was positive now that she was dreaming, but she didn't care. She was starting to like this dream again, so she didn't bother trying to wake herself up.
"O- Oh! Thank you very much!" She squeaked her words, and Loki nodded at her exclamation.
"You're very welcome, dear." He stood silently for a moment before clearing his throat. "You were to dance with my brother, correct? He told me of your arrival."
"Yeah… but he ditched me…" Her eyes lowered again, and she moved to hug her arms to herself.
"Then here," he offered his arm with a smile. "Go with me. It would be better than crying under the stairs for the remainder of the night." Taylor looked at the offered arm, breathless for a moment before nodding and taking his arm, his cheeks a light shade of pink again.
"I'd love to."
Loki smiled and led her back to the ball room, and she followed silently, starting to wonder if this dream would be the kind that got to the good part, and then ended with her waking up. She hoped not, and tried to push those thoughts from her mind, focusing on Loki, who was releasing her arm and bowing some at her. She blushed a deep shade of red when he bowed to her like that, then curtsied in return. After that, she was being spun in circles, dipped, and held close to him. She kept her eyes on his as they danced, the world fading away, along with all of the humiliation and fears of waking up. When the music stopped, though, Loki released her, his eyes moving towards an older man in the corner of the room. The man looked upset, and Thor looked like he had just been scolded.
"I must go now, but I hope to see you again sometime."
Taylor said nothing, but she did nod, forcing her gaze back to Loki, just in time to see him leaning towards her. Her eyes widened some, but she still, watching what he was doing.
"Meet me in the garden out back in one hour." He whispered the words in her ear, and when she nodded just the slightest bit, he pulled back and kissed her hand. Then, without another word, he was gone. Taylor was left breathless on the dance floor after that, just staring at the wall in front of her. Her heart raced; her thoughts clouded. One hour. She had one hour. Once Taylor was able to think again, she quickly exited the ball room, heading for the room the servants had shown her earlier. Once there, she quickly changed into her now-dry jeans, T-shirt, and high top sneakers. Then, she quietly exited the room and slipped down the large hall; her mind still racing as she made her way into the garden. The garden wasn't hard to find, as it basically circled the entire castle. Each window, on this end at least, had a perfect view of the canopies of flowers. All Taylor had to do was exit her room and find a door that led outside. Unfortunately, though, Loki had failed to mention where in the garden they were to meet. All he had said was the garden, which was, in her opinion, a rather vague thing to say. Taylor wandered off into the left side of the green garden to find him anyways, though. She knew he would be there. She just had a feeling. He would be waiting for her, somewhere...