The next year, Baylee and her cousins returned to Midgard excited to live a summer like little princesses. Baylee was 14 now and just in the midst of puberty. Her cousins, Ashley and Tiffany, were 15 and 16, and more developed. While they were best of friends as children, they tended to ignore Baylee now, calling her a little girl and saying that she would not understand the things they liked to talk about.
Loki noticed that everytime he turned around Baylee was near. Today, she watched him train his platoon. He had just dropped an Asgardian knight to his knees. She clapped and cheered him on.
Smiling egotistically, Loki came to her side.
"You are like a chivalrous knight in shining armour, Prince Loki."
Loki chucked at her naive impression. He was not even close to chivalrous. "Why aren't you playing with you cousins?"
Baylee kicked out her foot in a childish manner. "They said they are too old to play."
Loki knew what it was like to be ignored, treated as an outsider. "You are never too old to play. Have you been drinking anymore?"
Baylee's big baby girlish eyes grew wide. "NO!" she exclaimed. "I only tried it that one night because Ari dared me."
"What about dancing? Have you been dancing with boys older than yourself?"
Now her cheeks flamed scarlet. "No! I've been good!"
Loki popped her on the knee playfully, "Alright then, I shall reward you."
Baylee did not grant him time to finish. She jumped down from the side of the arena, clasping Loki's hands. "Eww! What kind of reward?"
Loki peered a good foot and a half down at her petite figure. "I will play a game with you. Your choice."
Baylee squealed with delight. Loki could not help but chuckle, she was adorable.
"Hide and seek! It is my favorite!"
Loki allowed her to lead him into the forest. "You will have to teach me how to play as I am unfamiliar with Midgard games."
Loki had only meant to grant her his attention for a few minutes to cheer her up, but ended up chasing her until dark. She brought out the rambunctious youthful boy that he had not seen in years making him forget his meager existence in Asgard.
And that was how it begun. Hide and seek turned into chase and then late nights of chess and cards. Every morning, he took her riding and most afternoons, he found she made a pleasant walking companion to explore the forest with. Some days, he strolled her on the lake in his boat and some rainy evenings, he taught her a few simple magic tricks.
The summer quickly faded and Loki dreaded to see her leave him. He had grown close to her as one would a kid sister. She was honest, sweet, pure, and best of all, completely devoted to Loki.
One afternoon while enjoying the sun on the lake, Baylee drew close to Loki, propping her chin on his chest as she often did when they talked. Loki did not seem to mind, he was used to her hanging all over him. "I want to ask you a serious question."
Loki yelped, "Oh no, not serious" bursting into laughter, he continued. "Ask me anything, little one."
"Does sex hurt?"
His laughter died. She had never asked him anything like this before. "Baylee, I am not sure I should be talking to you about such subjects."
Baylee pouted her pouty lips knowing that Loki could not resist it when she done that. "You said I could ask you anything." She shot back.
Loki bit his lip. He did say that. "Yes, it hurts a female, but only the first couple of times."
"Why?"
Loki glanced down, not sure how to answer, not sure if he wanted to answer. "Because the man has to stretch a woman's canal to accept his size."
Baylee clasped her knees together, squeezing her legs tightly as if imagining the pain. "If it only hurts the first few times, why do women cry out during it long after their first?"
Now Loki scolded her, feeling exceedingly uncomfortable. "Baylee! How do you know women cry out?"
She sat erect, turning her face from him.
Loki sat up. He knew when she did that that she was trying to conceal something from him. He turned her to face him. "Answer me."
Shyly, she replied. "I know someone who did it and she told me."
"A friend of yours?"
Baylee shook her head yes.
Now Loki frowned, utilizing a reprehensive tone. "Your friends are too young to be doing adult things! You should not have sex until you are grown and in love."
Meekly, she asked, batting her long sooty lashes, "Are you in love with Disa?"
Loki flinched. He had been secretly fucking Disa all summer. He had taken care to hide her from his father knowing he would not approve of him using the blacksmith's daughter to satisfy his needs. "No, I am not. And why would you ask me such a question?" And how in the hell did she know? He used a magic shield to gain Disa access to his room.
Baylee shoved him to his back, straddling his abdomen, giggling as she tickled him. "I am just playing, Loki! Why are you being all serious?"
What a relief...Laughing, Loki tossed her over, conquering her in the tickle match.
After dinner, she found him in the garden as she did most nights. And like every night, she bounced loudly across the river stone walkway and covered his eyes from behind, giggling, "Guess who?" And like every night, Loki guessed wrong on purpose to set her off.
She always corrected him knowing he liked to tease her, and massaged his tensed shoulders from behind. Loki sighed, having overindulged on an aged brew Odin had served at dinner.
"Are you tired tonight?"
"No, I am intoxicated."
Giggling, Baylee skipped around to his front and crawled into his lap like she normally did. "I thought you said it was bad to get drunk?"
Loki laid his head back, eyes closed. "It is wrong for children, but not for adults."
"So I guess this means no Norse god story tonight?"
Baylee had become addicted to his nightly stories before bedtime. Before her mother had started dating, she had read Baylee a bedtime story nightly, now she was too busy dating or talking on the phone to one of her lovers.
Loki grunted as if he wanted to sleep, but he was not about to send Baylee to bed with this being her last night in Asgard for the summer. "Baby, you tell me one. I want to see if you have been listening."
"You know I listen to everything you tell me." She declared and then laid her dainty head against his chest and retold her favorite tale. When she finished, she asked, "Will you miss me, Loki?"
Glossy eyed, Loki peered up at her. "You know I will. You are my baby girl."
She smiled her usual precious smile, the smile she reserved only for Loki and pecked him innocently on the cheek like she did every night to bid him goodnight. He smiled and closed his eyes, relaxing.
Slowly, she drew her lips to his mouth, kissing him as a woman would, firm and passionately. She had seen her mother do this countless times. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Drunk and dazed, Loki ran his hand up her spine before he realized what she was doing. He flung his eyelids open, jerking away. "Baylee, no!"
Baylee fled from him, sobbing as she raced across the garden, hurt and embarrassed.
Loki bent over, his insides churning, nausea flooding his soul. It took him a second to contain his emotions and when he did, he felt even sicker. He had handled the situation badly, wounding her childish heart. Fighting the urge to go to her bedchamber to tell her he was sorry, he dashed to his feet and picked her some flowers. He planned to have a talk with her in the morning before she left and explain that he loved her as a kid sister, nothing more. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Baylee, but it was for her good. She could not go around thinking that it was condonable to kiss grown men. God knows that her slut of a mother would not teach her and a dog bore more motherly instincts than Jane.
Loki never got the opportunity to set things right between him and Baylee. Because of his overindulgence on wine, he slept the day away, missing the chance to tell her goodbye. She was gone now. He would not see her for another year.
