Loki continued to stand in front of the desk while she leaned back into her chair. Her calm attitude bothered him; he wanted fear or respect. Technically he wanted both, but he knew she was going to be a formidable opponent. She knew no fear, and he was going to play this game alongside her.
"You are not who I was lead to believe." He said, raising his chin, a movement not lost to her. Her well known temper rising quickly, she took the floor.
"I suppose it is my turn to speak." She rose gracefully from the chair, her posture taking the same position as his. The two people stood face to face, separated by nothing but a simple piece of furniture. She stood tall, but not as tall as he; both had hair black as night, and while his skin was a pale white, hers was tan. She wore black slacks with a black top to match, both tight but modest and chic and not looking a day over twenty five. She was perfection in his eyes, her body, soul, and mind. This could only get better.
"You came here seeking me, yet you know not who I am. You hear from your armies of a myth. I am not your enemy Son of Odin. I am no ones. This abode you have entered is my work and my home. I listen to mortals speak about their troubles and their joys of daily life; I sleep and eat and bother no one. Why have you come disrupting my peace?"
"I have heard about you, yes, and I know who you are." Loki answered, planning his counter attack. "You are not from Asgard, yet you fought for her. You live a life that is peaceful but hate it; you only live it because you have no choice."
"I owed the Allfather a debt. That is why I fought against the Frost Giants by his side. Do not include patriotism in this; I have no love for your home. As for living like this it is not hard, I do not dislike it."
"It is not my home." He hissed.
"So you know your true parentage then, Son of Laufey."The last three words stung him as she half whispered and half jeered them at him. "You realize now you were a spoil of a war you had no part in?"
"Yes woman, I do." He was seething, how dare she? "I know your part in it as well."
"Do you? Do you know that it was I who found you in Laufey's temple? Sit down lost prince, and I will share with you my memories."
Loki obeyed her. Her voice had lost its malice and he had begun to wonder about her more. Did the myths not give her justice?
"It is true that I fought by Odin's side in the great battle between Laufey and he. Many lives were lost to both sides, and devastation had filled the land. I was getting weary of fighting for a land I did not belong to. I had sustained minor injuries during the battle, but continued to fight valiantly beside the king." She leaned forward and put her head into her hands while propped against the desk by her elbows; as if she was weary of telling the story. She continued slowly, "I had finally had enough, and wandered into the temple to escape the bloodshed. I did not see the frost giant who was there lurking in the shadows, I only saw the child. There was a baby lying on a blanket, freezing and screaming. I leaned over and felt his face, and my hand turned to ice before my eyes. Imagine that! The one who wields fire as a weapon and her hand turns to ice. I snatched my hand back and halted when I heard the laughter of the beast behind me. 'You dare touch the son of our king? You die today, mercenary.' I had expected it and I had come to terms with death before entering the battle, but I was still horrified. I stared at the giant as Odin's sword went straight through his heart. My face and armor was spattered with the blood as I watched him fall. Odin looked at my face, and instead of facing the fact of my desertion, looks behind me at the child. He looks behind me, at you."
Loki's face did not change in this entire tale, and only slightly change of what looks like pain at this announcement. His face loses the expression, he stays stoic, unmoving. She continues.
"He picked you up right away, and said that Frigga would be happy to have another child to take care of. He smiled at me, and I believed that all was forgiven. I gave him my trust. 'He is the king's son… the prince.' Odin nodded at my words and climbed the horse, still holding you against his armor. 'The war is over. We will meet again at Asgard at the hall during the victory feast.' I nodded back at him, acknowledging his words. My fears at ease, I walked behind him to the portal, and as he called Heimdall, I followed. I had previous arrangement in Asgard to stay for some time; little did I know they would not be necessary. The next day the victory feast was scheduled, and I was summoned to meet the Allfather before it began. Once again, I believed foolishly in my safety. You must know the rest now. He stripped my powers with magic even I did not know, and I, from a world unknown to Heimdall himself! Outrageous! But he took them all, and sent me here to Midgard. It is only by hard work I have achieved what I have now."
She wipes her face with her hands and rubs her eyes and then stares at his face. His expression is pained, as if her story brought memories of his own back to the front of his vast mind. He notices the silence and sees that she is watching him. He grins and turns to look into her dark blue eyes and speaks, filling the silence.
"I know the magic of which you speak, fire handler. I believe that fire and ice complement each other quite nicely, don't you agree?" Her eyes began to glow with excitement. It had begun.