You knew Loki had returned soon as you heard the sound of soft footsteps in the grass. It had only been a week.

It could be no one else.

You startled and hastily shoved the book that had been cradled in your arms beneath a bush where he would not see.

"(Y/n?)"

"Y-yes?" you stammered, straightening up and wringing your hands. Your wings twitched. "Your highness?"

He strode determinedly through to the clearing, this time with a bag over his shoulder. It was made of some sort of green material. He must have a penchant for the color because he was wearing a similar shade tunic as opposed to formal armor.

He clucked his tongue in a chiding sort of way."Such formalities? My dear, I thought you would care little for titles."

"I-I um..." Your wings twitched again, a nervous flutter that matched the one growing in your stomach. "I suppose it's just proper respect..."

He snorted. "That's not important, (y/n). Not in the middle of nowhere, or among friends." He sat cross-legged in the grass, placing the bag next to himself.

You followed suit, albeit much more clumsily to make room for your wings. Then you realized something. "We're friends?"

"Of course. Why do you think I brought this?" He nudged the bag towards you. Caution gave way to curiosity, and you undid the drawstring, giving a little gasp. It was full of, well, things! Pretty things.

Peeking, you reached in and tentatively pulled out a silver bracelet with painted green beads. There was the color green again. It was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen in your whole life.

"There's more than just that. I brought a few books from my personal collection. Mostly some classic poetry, although I believe there is also a Midgardian book of children's tales and a volume on creating illusions."

Books! You only had one book. Now there were three, no four more! And beneath them a wrapped package of sweets, and some sort of (f/c) cloth. When everything was laid out, you saw that it was a cloak, a proper cloak with a shiny clasp and no rips or tears. It was thick and when you pressed a corner to your cheek, it was oh-so-very soft. You looked up and flushed red as you saw Loki staring at you with a bemused smile. You hadn't even remembered he was there for a moment, so entranced you were with the things he brought.

He liked your smile. It was genuine, which was unusual for a prince like himself where the only kinds he saw were the strained of courtiers and the daft of those hoping to win favor. When you smiled, your (e/c) eyes shone like jewels.

It had taken him a week to find the perfect time to slip away to his secret. For she was, he decided, certainly a secret and one best kept close at hand. If she was truly on her own in these woods, the least he could do was bring comforts of home. Books to pass the time, a warm cloak that would do better than that ugly falling apart mess of a blanket, sweets (the peppermints were a favorite of his). The bracelet he threw in last minute, though he wasn't sure why. Apart from a chance to see your smile.

And now you were red and nervous once more.

"T-Thank you, Loki. These are all so beautiful." You sounded almost upset, as though you didn't deserve his gifts. That might have irked him normally, but not today. Instead it set his resolve.

"You're welcome, my dear (y/n). Now, i've grown much more curious over the week. How long have you lived in these woods? How did you come here to begin with?"

"It's been a few years," you confessed, returning to your fidgeting with the silver bracelet. "I-I was told to find a place for myself, that I needed to go. Away. Really far. I'm not, umm, compatible with the rest of society."

Perhaps it was then that his thoughts turned darker. Who would kick this creature from their home? You weren't dangerous. You weren't, as you put it, incompatible. Just a shy young woman, lost and left to fend for herself, though you'd gotten along up until then.

"People were scared, I suppose." you added

"Fools will always be scared of what they don't know. That's why all fools are cowards, and all cowards are foolish. They run from what they do not wish to understand." His voice was somber, edged with a bitterness you didn't quite understand.

Loki placed a hand upon your knee. "Just know this, (y/n). Whatever they might have said, your differences only make you stronger in the end."

With that, he abruptly stood and left, disappearing into the brush.

Once he was gone, you pulled your book out from beneath the bush. On the very last page was your sketch of the prince, done with a single piece of charcoal. You ran a hand down the page's length and sighed.