At the entrance of the Asgardian castle, a young girl who appeared to be at the age of eight human years waited with her mother for the return of the great All-Father, Odin. His arrival was long awaited, for he had been off to battle for an exceptionally longer time than it should have taken, and his family as well as all of Asgard worried for their king. But the child who waited for him at the doors worried most of all.
"Mother, will he be here soon?" she asked hopefully, clinging to the skirts of the beautiful woman's dress.
"Yes, darling, but remember. We must have patience, for it is the virtue of a refined lady," the queen replied calmly, smoothing a strand of her daughter's chestnut brown hair, tucking it behind her ear. The child inwardly groaned at her mother's choice of words but nodded in understanding. This was something her mother said quite often, and as much as she wished she would obey her mother more often, she hated that she was always forced into the role of a "young lady".
"Good girl," the queen said with a smile, adjusting the restless baby on her hip. The girl sighed, and crossed her arms across her chest, but softened when she looked at her baby brother, Thor.
"Don't worry, Thor. Father will be home soon," she comforted, reaching up to grab his chubby hand. "Maybe he will even bring us a present."
At that moment, trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of the ruler of Asgard. Horse hooves clacked across the shining Bifrost bridge, a small group of majestic soldiers in golden armor followed behind the even more majestic man leading them; Odin. A squeal erupted from the little girl's throat as she ran from her mother's side toward the man dismounting his horse. "Father!" she cried as she jumped into his strong, waiting arms.
"Hello, Adeline," he chuckled, tightening his grip around her tiny frame. Usually he didn't show so much affection, but his daughter was the only exception, his heart becoming soft and yielding when it came to her.
"I missed you so much!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.
"And I you." Odin pulled back, and kissed her forehead before standing to greet his wife and son. Adeline watched curiously as he whispered something in her mother's ear. Whatever it was made her mother step back with wide eyes.
"We'll talk about this later," she said in a hushed tone. "Away from the children."
Hours later when Adeline was playing in her room, pretending her dolls were warriors fighting each other for rule over the kingdom, a knock came from her bedroom door. Quickly, she scrambled to put her dolls back, and pretended to brush the hair of a doll with tendrils of silvery blond hair. Frigga, her mother, entered slowly and extended a hand toward the small girl. "Come, darling," she said. "Your father and I have something to show you."
Frigga led her daughter down the long pillared hallways of the castle and into the nursery of her baby brother Thor. Like always, Thor was in his cradle, sucking on his tiny fist, drool running down his chin. What wasn't normal was the presence of Odin in the nursery, holding something wrapped in a deep emerald blanket.
"Adeline, I would like you to meet someone," Odin said, his deep voice rumbling as he kneeled to the ground so she could see more clearly. "This is Loki. He is to be your new brother."
Adeline approached carefully, her feet padding across the carpet floor. She looked down at the baby bundled in her father's arms. He was like any other baby, cute, plump, and sleeping soundly, but there was something that wasn't quite right. "Father...his skin?" she asked in confusion, noticing the blue tinted skin of the baby. "Is he cold?"
Odin glanced at Frigga, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "No, Adeline, nothing is wrong. That is simply the way he was born."
Carefully, Adeline reached out, and gently touched Loki's cheek with the back of her hand. He stirred. His sleepy eyes opened to look into Adeline's chocolate brown eyes, brown meeting green. "Hello, Loki," she smiled softly, taking one of his pudgy hand in hers. "I'm your new sister, Addy. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Five years had taken place since that fateful night, and Loki had become a permanent part of the family, like he was always there. And as far as his parents and siblings were concerned, he was. He, Thor, and Adeline had gotten especially close as time went on, barely ever spending a moment apart from each other. The two boys almost never left their older sister's side.
"Adeline!" called the voice of an innocent Loki as he ran with Thor across the marble floors to her bedchambers. His tiny hands grasped the door handle, and the brothers worked together to push the door open with all their might until they tumbled through onto the ground. Adeline sat on a soft cream-colored ottoman, a bored expression on her face as her fingers softly stroked the cords of an elaborate golden harp, wishing she was anywhere but stuck in her room doing anything else. Wisps of long chestnut curls fell over her shoulder, but she stopped playing at the sound of her brother's whimpering voice. Instantly she left her seat, rushing to his side, and despite the situation, secretly thankful her brothers had come to her rescue from practicing her harp.
"What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down to peer at Loki's tear-stained face and Thor's slightly guilty one.
"Thor pushed me down the stairs!" he accused, pointing at Thor.
He immediately started defending himself. "I did not mean it! It was an accident," he said.
"Thor, you need to learn to be more careful," Adeline chastised gently. "Loki is more fragile. I will not tell Mother nor Father, but you cannot always play rough with him, okay?"
Thor nodded. "I scraped my knee falling down the stairs," Loki sulked, surprising Adeline by throwing his arms around her neck, clinging to her with an iron grip. "Make it better, Addy, please."
Adeline pried Loki off her to examine the cut before holding her hand over the cut delicately, letting power flow through her veins to her palms then fingertips. A bright blue light surrounded the injury as Adeline's eyes glowed the same bright blue before clearing up completely, and her eyes went back to their original color, but like always when she used her powers they had just a bit more of a blue tint mixed in with the brown than last time. She thought at some point, they'd turn completely blue since they changed with each time her power was used.
"There you go, all better," she smiled, giving him a kiss on the forehead before turning to both boys, lowering her voice to a hushed tone. "Let us go play in the gardens now, and if Mother asks, I finished practicing."
Both boys nodded with a grin. Adeline got up, and extended a hand to them. Together, they walked down the halls, but as soon as the servants' backs were turned, they broke into a run down the stairs, and Adeline sat on the banister before sliding down. She laughed once she arrived at the ground, and jumped off, darting after her little brothers. She'd much rather do this than stay in her bedroom playing her stupid harp.
"Hello, Loki, how nice of you to join me," Adeline said without turning around, a small grin playing on her pink lips. The book in which she was drawing in was splayed out on her knees, open with already a picture of the mountains off in the distance sketched out. Oh how she wished she could be up there, but of course there were lessons to learn, and all her responsibilities and expectations that pictured her to behave as a proper young lady. She appeared to be the mortal age of eighteen, and many years had passed since Loki was first welcomed into the family. From so much use of her powers, her eyes were now a crystal blue that glowed at times when her emotions were intense.
From behind her, she heard her raven-haired little brother groan in frustration. "How did you know? I can sneak up on anyone, even Mother," he said, sitting down beside her on the bench. He glanced up at her as her attention was still on sketching the mountains, her eyes darting back and forth between the sight and her sketchpad. His sister, in his opinion, was a person to be admired. Loyal, kind-hearted, brilliant, and not to mention hilarious at times she could get away with it. Some of the best qualities a person could have. But then there was her beauty, which had both him and Thor batting men away from her that got too close for comfort when she had been obvious she didn't want him around.
Brown hair fell down past her shoulders in spirals, the only ornamentation the circlet atop her head. Her eyes were the same bright blue as the sky, and her lips were as light as a pink carnation's petals. The only flaw that most men didn't like was her height, Adeline being about a foot, shorter than Loki. Yes, she was pretty, just didn't know it.
Men all over had attempted to win her heart, but she was too relaxed, too adventurous for the uptight suitors to manage. It wasn't that she was opposed to finding a man, but rather, she just wanted someone who could keep up. When she finally did, it would be a miracle, since to be honest, he didn't see her settling down with a man anytime soon.
"You're too predictable," she replied playfully with a grin.
"Am not!" he said defensively.
Are too. And do you happen to have any special reasons to seek me out?" Adeline questioned with a smirk.
"Can't I just come out to the garden without having a particular reason for it?" he demanded defensively. Adeline rolled her eyes, wanting to giggle but choosing not to.
"Of course you can," she said. "Just curious." Loki opened his mouth to reply but couldn't, for at that moment, Thor came bounding over. His large, muscular frame covered the surrounding area in a large shadow as he came to stand over them.
"Adeline!" he boomed, picking her up in his arms swiftly. "Did you forget about our plans to ride today?"
"I did," she admitted with a chuckle. "Apologies, brother."
"It's alright, we can go now," he said, setting her down on the lush grass.
Loki jumped up to his feet. "Adeline and I were busy," he interjected impatiently.
Thor raised an eyebrow, and Adeline rolled her eyes. Here we go, she thought. Thor and Loki had a habit nowadays fighting over who got to spend time with her, which irked her since when they were younger, this wasn't a problem. "It looked to me like you were doing nothing," Thor said.
"Of course it would look like that to you."
"It looked like that because that's what it was."
"I wouldn't expect a buffoon like you to understand."
They looked to be about to fight, and Adeline had lost what little patience she had. "Stop it!" Adeline scolded, breaking up the argument. She raised her hands, and a bright blue force field encased them both separately, the boys quieting under her icy gaze, both eyes glowing. "You two are grown men, and you're acting like children! I am not a toy to fought over, understood? I am not an object. Ever talk about me like I am, and I'll punch you into next week. Loki, Thor and I had already made plans, besides we weren't really doing anything. We will see each other again later. And Thor, Loki can have a few minutes to at least talk to me."
Adeline sighed, and put down her hands, dropping her force field along with it. She took Thor's hand, and waved to Loki over her shoulder as they walked away. His hands were clenched, and his shoulders tense. Anger seeped out of every pore of his being. It was obvious he was upset, but Adeline couldn't bring herself to care. He'd get over it soon enough.
She and Thor walked over to the stables together, laughing and talking about recent events in their lives. She didn't get to see him much anymore due to training so she was grateful for what little time she had. "Loki seemed upset I've taken his precious sister from him," he observed, and mockingly chuckled, but quieted as Adeline glared and punched his arm. Hard.
"Don't be mean," she reprimanded, mounting her horse.
"Even you have to admit that his clinginess is absurd," Thor pointed out. "He needs a woman in his life that is not his mother or sister."
"If he doesn't want to date, he doesn't want a date," retorted Adeline firmly. "Now leave him alone." With that, she rode off on her horse, followed promptly by her little brother. Asgard was a wonderful place to ride, with all the beautiful sights to see, but she only wished she could see more. See more about what was out there, and discover what was outside her home. But if course, there were the fact that she was to grow up to be the future of her people, and her fate was to rule the kingdom beside her husband, and bear heirs to the throne. Sometimes, though, she felt resentful of what she was born into, since she didn't have the freedom many girls her own age did. Sure, she had many things, but freedom and adventure, the things she wanted most, were not one of them.
She wanted to see new and different places, but to be the queen she was raised to be, she had to sit still on her throne, and simply look pretty. Probably her own marriage wouldn't be of her own choosing. Her parents would choose based on how it would help the kingdom best.
Adeline shook her head, and tried to stay focused on enjoying the ride. After all, this little activity has become hers and Thor's, their own thing that was their time together. They went riding every two weeks, and every time she learned something new about him. This time she learned he could do an incredibly accurate impression of their father.
The two rode all afternoon until evening, making their way home only then. At the palace gates, Frigga stood waiting for them, her face a mask of what seemed to be sorrow, but Adeline couldn't tell in the dark. Her horse approached her mother first, and she beamed, "Good evening, Mother." As Adeline got off her horse, she noticed her mother didn't smile back, which only made her feel uneasy. "Is something wrong?"
Thor rode behind, stopping to greet Frigga as well. "Thor, go inside please. We'll follow in a moment," she ordered calmly. Thor obeyed, but not without giving Adeline a concerned look before leaving. "Adeline...we need to talk.
By her tone alone, Adeline had a feeling she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.
"Excuse me?" Adeline said, shaking her head on confusion, unsure if she'd heard correctly.
"You're at a crucial age now, an age at which you have the responsibility to think of marriage and children," her father repeated. "It is because of this that your mother and I have agreed to meet with the ruler of Alfheim, Freyr, along with his wife, Ryaera, and their son, Daratrin."
For a moment , Adeline was silent. She knew this was coming. She was a fool to think otherwise. But it still felt like a punch to the face.
But she still forced a small smile upon her face. "I understand, Father. I agree with your reasoning. I will meet Daratrin in the hopes of getting to know him with the intention of marriage," she said in a mostly impassive voice. She gave a small nod, then walked out the room.
She kept her calm composure until she was in her room. Only then she allowed the anger to seep out of her pores. She seethed as she stared at the window, thinking of all the things she had been forced to do growing up that went against her better nature. And now her father was holding her back by practically selling her to the highest bidder when the last thing she wanted was to get married to someone she didn't know. But mostly she was frustrated with herself. She should've known he'd do something like this.
With a sudden yell of frustration, she kicked the closest thing to her, sending it sprawling on the floor. Why, for once, could she not be left alone? Even Loki and Thor could sense her being upset from wherever they were, but they knew she needed space.
She couldn't believe how selfish she was for her thoughts. How selfish it would be to even consider it. But still the thoughts lingered in her mind. She didn't come out her room for the rest of the night.
A few days after the big announcement, and Adeline could only think of what to do. She should probably just accept her faith, and get married with the Prince of Alfheim. It would be what her father wanted. But what about what she wanted? Finally, she made a decision.
In her room, Adeline placed her things inside a bag, things she decided she'd take with her. She tore off the circlet stop her head, and tossed it away. She was finally done. She couldn't do this anymore. It was just too much to deal with anymore.
Adeline paused in her packing when she heard the door to her room open. Her head whipped around to see Loki standing in the doorway, looking as if he were about to turn in for the night, but stopped by to say goodnight. She froze, dropping her bag, expecting her little brother to be mad and yell at her, try to persuade her to stay, or something, just being the voice of reason here. Instead he did something she certainly didn't expect.
He picked up her bag, and helped her out everything back inside. "Can't say I didn't expect this from you, Addy," he sighed, using the nickname he gave her as kids. He handed it back to her, while she just looked at him strangely.
"Aren't you going to make me stay?" she asked suspiciously.
"As much as I wish you would, I know you," he smiled. "At the end of the day, I'm still your brother, and I want you to do what's best for you, for once."
A moment of silence passed as Adeline fought to find the right words to say. Instead, she didn't say anything. She flung her arms around Loki, unable to express her love and gratitude for him any other way. "Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone," she finally said quietly. "And hopefully I'll see you out there...someday maybe." With that, she let go. Loki looked like he had something in his eye as he reached up. This time, Adeline couldn't resist teasing. "Are you crying, brother?"
"No!" he cried defensively. "I merely have something in my eye."
"Uh-huh," she said doubtedly. "Well, I'll miss you too. Cover for me so no one knows I'm gone yet." Adeline put one finger up to get mouth before she backed up until she hit the wall, then turned around, opened the window, and crawled out. She waved to Loki one more time before letting go of the sill, and falling onto the ground.
The second her feet hit the ground, she started running. She slipped out the palace gates, and didn't look back until she was far enough. Then, she looked at it the Asgardian castle one last time before taking off again. She never looked back again.
What Adeline didn't know that day was that she was about to find what she was looking for. She was searching for adventure. And she got one. It came in the form of a man named the Doctor in a time machine, who had also run away from his home...and never stopped running.
Author's note: So these parts are basically the past. All of the parts are different memories. So hope you guys like this! Until next time!