Chapter 1: Introduction
"Loki, wait up!" a wild, young boy's voice rang out down the alleyway, calling into Maren's little ears.
"It's tag, Thor! I'm not supposed to wait up!" a dark haired boy called back but his voice was closing in on Maren as she leaned against a pillar, making another craft figure for her collection. She turned about the pillar to see where the voices were coming from and the dark haired boy ran into her, blowing the two over. The two laughed and smiled at each other.
"Watch it," Maren laughed.
"Sorry," the dark haired boy looked at her with a sad, bewildered face.
"Tis alright, I suppose. I'm Maren," she stood, helping the boy to his feet.
"Loki," the boy smiled.
"Son of Odin?" Maren's expression was unchanged. The boy nodded. His icy blue eyes did not stray from her lovely lavender ones. The blonde boy caught up to them, slightly out of breath.
"Who is this?" the blonde boy looked over Maren judgmentally as she wore very casual clothes with only a shoulder plate of armor.
"Brother, this is…" Loki let her introduce herself.
"Mare. My name is Maren," she half curtsied, only feeling obligated.
"I am Thor. It is nice to meet you," his eyes were lost in the tangles of her unruly, white waves of hair and thus his though trailed off, "Loki, shall we race back to father?"
"Come play with us?" Loki turned back to Maren with a sympathetic look on his face.
"Sure!" Maren smiled brightly, throwing her craft figure over her shoulder and following the two boys. She caught Thor looking back at them smiling with his final approval.
The three ran up the steps of the palace. At the top stood Odin, a strong and overpowering figure to be sure and intimidating to Maren to the point that she fell behind the two boys.
"What's wrong? It'll be fine! Trust me!" Loki looked back to her, holding out an encouraging hand. Maren took his hand and the two finished climbing the stairs, facing with Odin, himself.
"And who is your new friend, Loki?" Odin looked upon his son with hope.
"This is Maren, father," Loki looked from Odin to Maren excitedly as though he had found a rare find.
"Daughter of Vidarr?" Odin was, in fact, pleased with Loki's find of a new friend. Maren nodded and curtsied in affirmation and respect.
"You will make Asgard proud one day, wild child," Odin gave out a hearty laugh.
"I only hope so, my lord," Maren recited, "Going to the Wild Realm is a great tradition to test my family's strength and a great honor.
"Now, the two of you go play, I must speak with Thor for a bit."
"Yes father," Loki took hold of Maren's hand again and led her into the palace, the two smiling with delight.
