Chapter 2: Teaching Each Other
I've spent two weeks reading and re-reading the book Loki let me borrow. As of now, I've pretty much memorized it. Illusion magic is so fascinating. It is quite different from elemental magic, which feels the most natural to me, along with reading auras. With my magic, it feels like instinct. I can feel the energy flowing through my body and it extends past my fingertips when I will the magic to do something. For elementals like me, we simply will the magic to connect with the elements and we can control it however we please. Everybody has a different type of magic flowing through their veins, just like how everybody has a different body chemistry. To me, creating winds and moving the tides come so easy to me, but turns out that willing the magic to create a simple illusion is more complicated than I realized.
After breakfast, I spend a good hour trying to create an image of a small butterfly in the palm of my hand. Even though the book recommended to start out small and simple, it is hard! I can only form a faint outline of a butterfly. I have a strong feeling that even after a few centuries of practicing this kind of magic, I won't be as fluent with it compared to Queen Frigga or even Loki. That still won't stop me from trying. Maybe the next time I meet Loki, he can help me. We did have a deal after all. Good thing I brought out a couple books about water elemental magic that I save for my next meeting with him.
The sound of knocking on my bedroom door breaks my concentration.
"Princess," Skylar calls, "It is time to get ready for your martial art training with Master Shaolin"
"Enter," I say. Skylar comes in and goes to my walk-in closet to pick my training outfit for the day. All Vanir children start training to fight at an early age. We are not a warrior society like Asgard, but we still train in combat and how to defend ourselves. I guess the biggest difference is that Asgard focuses more on with various weapons while the Vanir uses their own bodies as a weapon.
Skylar picks out a simple training outfit with tight-fitting pants and a loose shirt dress. She helps dress me as I put on my circlet tiara. Skylar adds thin anklets to my ankles. Even though I am a princess and need to learn how to be graceful and poised within royal courts, my parents are not against me learning how to fight. I remember my father saying once that I may come across a situation in the future where I might not have a guard or a prince to protect me or come to my rescue, so he wants me to be prepared for anything. I think it's great that it's more acceptable here for girls to learn how to fight. If I were a princess of Asgard, I don't think I would be given the same chance.
Skylar escorts my brother and I to Master Shaolin's martial school that is a small temple but has large outdoor training fields. Master Shaolin prefers training his students outside where we are more connected with the elements. When we arrive, there are already quite a few students from the city around our age. I recognize Master Shaolin's son Hogun in the crowd. He's my age. I wave excitedly at him and he smiles back at me. We've been friends ever since I was four.
"Greetings Master Shaolin!" Garrett and I say while we bow to him. He bows back.
"Good morning, Your Highnesses. It is a great honor for you two to finally join my class. From what I hear from the Queen, you two are quick learners but this class will be hard work. Despite being royalty, I will not go easy on you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei!" we say.
"Good. You two may stand next to my son. We will begin with an introduction and then get started with basic forms."
Garrett and I stand next to Hogun while Skylar stands and watches in the far corner. Most of the time, we're not allowed to go anywhere alone. Vanaheim is a relatively safe place, but we must always must have at least one guard, or my hand maiden Skylar accompany us. I love her and I know she's just doing her duties, but hopefully when I'm older I can go off on my own more often or have Garrett by my side.
'Good to see you, Hogun," I whisper.
He whispers back, "You too Raven. After the first hour of training, I want to hear all about your trip to Asgard."
"You got it!" We then turn our attention to our teacher.
"Being Vanir, magic runs through our veins. However, to help harness our magic we must work hard to balance opposing energies within our bodies. In each of us, there is yin and yang energies, forces that oppose each other but cannot exist standing alone. You cannot have the sun without the moon. You cannot have day without night. You cannot have the good without the bad. For there to be true harmony in not only the world around us but in ourselves, we must work with our two energies as one.
"In martial arts, there are two major kinds: internal and external. Internal focuses on the use of the mind, flexibility, and the use of defense. External focuses on energy, power, and the use of offense. In Asgard, they tend to value the external side of fighting, using aggression and brute force to overwhelm their opponent. While there is value in that when one is in a fight, it is important to remember that sometimes, it is best to be flexible, change direction at a moments' notice, and that the softness of breath can be more powerful than aggression. Today, we will focus on internal martial arts that focuses on body structure, alignment, breath, and visualization. These stances that I will demonstrate will seem more meditative than combative, but these defensive stances can aid you in a confrontation. Let us begin."
For the next hour, we practice various forms of internal movements such as the commencement, the reverse reeling forearms, the brush knee push, and so on. I can see my brother doing the forms well on the first try, but I can see it on his face that it's not his favorite. He'll probably like the external movements better. He's always been so energetic. I rather like these movements that we are practicing. It's so graceful, yet practical and calming. After an hour, we take a short break.
"So, how was Asgard?" Hogun asks.
"It was amazing! We mostly spent time in the palace, but we got to meet the princes and play with them all day!" I say excitedly.
"What were they like? I think I've heard that Prince Loki does magic like their Queen."
"What you've heard is true," says Garrett, "He does illusion magic and a little bit of water magic. But he's better at illusions. Thor called it tricks though and that's annoying."
I begin to grow annoyed as well. "Oh, I hate it when people call it 'tricks. It's so insulting! Anyway, we spent pretty much the whole day in Asgard. We hope to visit them again or for them to come visit us. Mother said last night that there will be frequent back and forth visits between Vanaheim and Asgard as they build a strong alliance, so I know we will see them again."
"Excited to see your green prince again?" Garrett teases me. I stick my tongue out at him.
"Yes, but not in the way you think. He's just a friend. We just connected with our mutual love of magic and books."
"Well, sounds like you two had fun! Maybe someday I'll visit," Hogun smiles.
"Yes, I think you would like Thor very well," I say.
After our break is over, we train for another hour and then Master Shaolin calls it a day.
"Same time next week." Master Shaolin bows and we all bow back.
"Bye Hogun," we say to him as Skylar escorts us back to the castle. As we approach the throne room to tell Mother and Father how our training went, to our surprise Queen Frigga, Prince Thor and Loki are there too! My Father, who is speaking animatedly to the boys, glances up.
"My children! Welcome back!"
"Father!" we shout and race up to give him a hug.
"Where is Mother?" Garrett asks, looking around.
"She is in the gardens along with our Healers. I sent a servant to notify her of the Asgardian family arrival. Queen Frigga has come for a surprise visit this time."
"Well, I did promise Diante that I would come visit and bring my sons with me. They couldn't wait to come visit you two."
"I'm glad you came! Now it is our turn to show you our home!" I say excitedly. I grab Loki's hand and pull him along, but he keeps up. Thor and Garrett trail behind us
"When did you two arrive?" I ask.
"About an hour ago. We had no idea you and Garrett had combat training," says Loki.
"I prefer calling it martial training, but yes. We just had our first lesson today. It went well. I see you met our Father."
"Yes, Mother was getting reacquainted with King Andros, but he talked to us too. He seems serious like mine, but also personable and nice. He asked me to show him some magic and he was impressed," Loki smiles proudly but then mutters underneath his breath, "I'm glad someone is."
I raise my eyebrow at that. "What do you-"
"Sister, how about we show them the old castle ruins?" Garrett interrupts excitedly. Usually, I don't like to be interrupted, but the sound of traveling the old castle ruins by the plains sounds exciting!
"What old castle ruins?" Thor asks.
I explain, "Believe it or not, this palace is not the only one in Vanaheim. From the beginning, Vanaheim had castles and citadels that were as big as mountains and could be seen from worlds away. However, we grew tired of the warfare needed to protect them. So, we decided to return to the forests and be more connected with nature, which is why many of our people's houses are built right next to them. Garrett and I go play there all the time. It's a great place to practice earth magic. Mother sometimes worries about us going there by ourselves, she's afraid we'll run into the Rock Trolls or Ogres that hide deep in the mountains."
"I've read about them. Have you two ever ran into Rock Trolls or Ogres?" Loki asks.
"Not yet. I doubt we'll run into them today."
"Even if we do, I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all; just as I will do with the Frost Giants when I am older," Thor says triumphantly. Loki rolls his eyes. We race outside and past our mothers in the gardens.
"Children, what in the name of the Norns are you up to?"
"We're going to the castle ruins to play," I call back.
"We'll be careful, Mother!" Garrett shouts.
"Watch out for the Rock Trolls dears," she answers back.
We run through a small trail in the forest for a while before we reach one of the main plains where the old castles are. Some are whole, and some are in crumbling shape. There are many pillars, towers, and staircases where some lead to nowhere. There is overgrown grass along the edges, vines and moss growing on the outside walls of the castles. To see the very top of the castles, you would have to crane your neck all the way back, which does feel very daunting and uncomfortable. Thor and Loki have surprised reactions on their faces as they look all the way up.
"Norns…these are huge!" Thor exclaims.
"Why do these castles look so different from yours?" Loki asks.
"Father says that we wanted to improve the design and structure of our castle," says Garrett.
"Even though these castles are for the most part whole, overtime, they will become more broken down as they age, and the rock walls will wear down," I explain.
"Or they will break down quicker the more we practice our earth magic," Garrett quips. I couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"You are right dear brother. It is a great place to practice moving rocks, creating earthquakes, and avalanches. Alas, I still struggle."
"Sister, do you think we'll find any more gemstones within the walls?"
"Maybe, we found many the last time we visited."
Thor looks slightly confused, but Loki perks up.
"Magical gemstones by any chance?" he asks.
I nod eagerly, "Yes! Many gemstones were infused within the walls and grounds to give them extra protection from enemies, physical and spiritual. That little piece of knowledge isn't widely known here anymore. Many people have forgotten that the gemstones are still here. Garrett and I came across that information months ago, around the time we were learning about the magical properties of gemstones. We came to see if the information was true and it was. We collected many gemstones, but they are hard to find."
"Yes, even when I constantly shift and move the rocks, it can take all day to find even a handful of small ones," says Garrett.
"Here's an idea: let's make it a game. Those who collect the most gemstones within two hours can keep all of them and bring them home. Those who loose has to give them up to the winners."
Thor, liking the sound of a competition, says, "Fantastic! Let's split up into two teams and we'll go our separate ways to cover more ground."
"Sounds good, Thor!" I grab Loki's hand and say, "Loki and I will go explore the staircases and towers. You and Garrett can cover the basements."
"May the best gem finder win!" shouts Garrett and all of us head into the castle closest to us. As Loki and I walk up the broken spiral staircase, I just happen to notice that we are still holding hands. Loki quickly looks down, blushes, and mumbles an apology.
"You don't interact with girls that much do you?" I ask with a giggle.
"Not entirely. It's mostly Thor and me. Sometimes, we play with Fandral, Volstagg, and Sif, but they are mostly Thor's friends, not mine. There are some girls around our age in the Asgard royal court, but I find them annoying."
"What about me? Am I annoying?" I challenge him.
"No, I find you interesting," he smirks at me.
"Good," I playfully shove him. "I find you interesting too." He laughs.
"What makes me so interesting?" I ask him, curious.
"Number one being that you love to read as much as I do. And that you are learning to fight. That is incredible!"
"Isn't it odd in Asgard for women to learn how to fight?" I ask, curious that he doesn't think me strange for learning self-combat.
"Yes, but I don't find anything wrong with it," he genuinely says.
I smile at him. "Thanks, Loki! I'm glad you think so. Even though I still must learn how to be a graceful Princess, my Father finds it important that I learn how to fight too. He always says to me that I may come across a situation where I might not have a prince or a guard to defend me, so I must learn to defend myself."
"Your Father is smart. I like how impressed he was with my magic, unlike my own." His expression sours when mentioning his Father. At this point, we've reached the very top of the tower. I sit on the edge with my feet dangling. I pat the space next to me.
"Come sit! The view is marvelous!"
With a smile, he comes and sits close to me. I fight to keep my blush down, hoping he hasn't noticed.
"You're right. It is."
"It's a great place to sit and think. Or to talk about what's on your mind?" I give him a pointed look.
"You really want to know?" he looks at me skeptically.
"Of course! We're friends, aren't we? And friends always listen and be there for each other no matter what. I want to hear what you have to say." I give him a smile and he relax a bit.
"All of my life, I've felt different. I feel like I shouldn't feel like this, but I do. I have a loving family, I'm a Prince, I always have fun with my brother, and yet I feel like I don't fit in Asgard. Everyone seems to gravitate towards Thor and not me. Why? Is it because I'm not as loud as Thor or as sociable? I try my best to be polite and kind, and yet not many children want to play with me. Even though I have Thor, it does get lonely sometimes.
"And I always get this strong feeling that Father is never happy with me. He always seems to praise Thor. I try so hard to impress him and when I finally met yours…" he trails off, not willing to continue.
"It felt good to have a father figure praise you for a change? To acknowledge your gifts?" I asked.
He only nods, refusing to look at me. I lay a gentle hand on his shoulder and he looks back at me, a combination of shock and confusion.
"I'm sure your Father loves you, Loki. All fathers love their children. He may treat you differently than Thor because you are different, but there's nothing wrong with that. In Vanaheim, everyone is different, but we never treat each other less than. Just keep being yourself, and your Father will see in time what's right in front of him."
Loki's face finally breaks into a smile. "I usually don't share this much with anyone. Why do I feel like I can talk to you about anything?"
I shrug it off with a smile. "Mother says I have that affect on people. I listen with no judgment, no pretenses and help however I can. Whenever I see someone hurting in some way, I can't stand to see their pain. I see it in their faces and in their auras. And of course, I feel the need to comfort strongly if it's someone I care about."
"You actually care about me?" he asks surprised.
I gently nudge his arm. "Don't act so surprised! In time, I hope you'll see why I find you a worthy friend."
He only gives me a nod and a slight smile. "So, have you read the book I let you borrow?"
"Yes! I couldn't put it down. I've learned a lot, but I'm struggling to form a small illusion. Watch."
I put my hands together and open them, palms facing up and my hands glow purple. I try to will my magic to extend from my palm and shape the light to form a butterfly. Still, all I create is an outline. I sigh in frustration.
"Don't be hard on yourself Rae-Rae. It's impressive that you progressed this far in under two weeks and illusion magic isn't the most natural to you. I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself; therefore, trying too hard. Believe it or not, sometimes trying too hard can be just as bad as trying too little be depending on the magic itself. Here. Let me help you."
Since he is slightly taller than me, Loki can put his arms around me and his hands rest on my wrists.
"You need to relax and not concentrate too hard on forming a completely solid image. Let your magic flow freely with no tension, let it extend from your fingertips and simply will the image to appear."
I take his advice and relax my concentration. I can feel the extra buzz of energy coming from Loki's fingertips as I simply will the image to appear. With Loki's help, I finally create a small purple butterfly with green highlights on the tips of its wings. It slowly flaps its wings and then takes off into the air flying close to us. I stare at it in excitement. I look to Loki who looks back with pride.
"Excellent Rae-Rae! You finally did it!"
I couldn't help but blush.
"Well, you helped a little."
"True, but with enough practice you'll be able to do it on your own." He says as he lets go from my wrists.
"I don't know. Sometimes, I think even with centuries of practice, I won't be very fluent. I can do it, but elemental magic feels the most natural to me."
"And that's perfectly fine. Sorcerers should always hone the skills they are the most natural at. Mine is illusions, yours is elemental. However, I still would like to practice my water abilities."
"I was just thinking of that! I took out a couple books about it from our family library. When we get back to the castle, I'll give you back the book I borrowed, and you can borrow the ones I'll give you."
"Sounds fantastic!" Loki says with a grin.
Suddenly, the castle began to shake like an earthquake. There's enough momentum to make Loki and I to fall off the tower. I let out a startled shriek and Loki lets out a yelp. With quick thinking I grab his hand and I concentrate on us descending slowly and we only land on the ground with a slight thud. We scramble to get up.
"What in the Norns happened?! We were lucky that you are able to use the element of air," says Loki.
"I can feel the magical aura. It belongs to my brother. He must be using his earth shifting powers to look for the gemstones. I guess shifting basement rocks shook the whole structure."
"FINALLY! WE FOUND SOME!" I hear Garrett's distant shout. Loki and I give each other a look.
"Well Rae-Rae, as much as I like having long conversations with you, we should get back to hunting for gemstones. Thor is victorious so many times and I would hate for him to win at this one."
"Agreed!" We scramble back inside and examine the walls of the spiral staircase. Loki sends waves of his green magic to sense the presence of magical gemstones. I roam my hands on the stone walls and try to sense them too, trying to tap into my earth abilities that I've struggled with for so long. Oh please let them work this time! As we were trying to find them, I hear Loki say, "Forgive me if this sounds weird, but I was sad to see you go when you last came to visit."
I turn to him with a smile and say, "I know. I could see it on your face. I didn't want to go either. And ever since I came home, my thoughts always drifted to you and all the fun we had!"
"Me too! Is this what it's like to have a best friend? Missing them when they're not around and wishing to be with them all the time?"
I fully look at him, my left hand still touching the stone wall. It finally clicked in this moment. He said it before how lonely he could be sometimes, and I've seen it in his aura and yet now I completely realize the depth of his loneliness as I saw it swirling in the depth of his emerald eyes, along with sadness, confusion, and a glimmer of hope. Sure, he always had Thor, but outside of family, he seemed to struggle with what exactly friendship is and what that means. How can such a good, gentle soul be so lonely? It does seem unfair that those who are quiet, reserved, and shy don't get as much attention as the loud, boisterous ones. In this moment, I silently vow to myself to never leave his side and teach him what it means to have a friend for life; since I take the value of friendship seriously.
I give him a full smile and nod, "Yes, I felt the same way. I couldn't stop thinking about you either. I was counting the days when I could come visit you again."
His eyes widen in surprise and in that exact moment, I finally felt a gemstone within the wall. I concentrate and carefully shift the rocks so that it came to the wall surface and I was able to pry it off. I wipe the sweat from my forehead.
"That's the first time I've seen you use earth powers," Loki comments.
"I'm still not as good as my brother. He seems to do it with ease while I exert myself too hard. It is the most stubborn element of all the four."
Under close examination, I see what the stone is, and I smile.
"I almost can't believe it! It appears that the rulers of old were able to combine an amethyst and a black tourmaline stone into one! I've never seen anything like it!"
"How odd," Loki remarks.
"It's actually brilliant when you think about it. Amethyst stones symbolize intuition, spirituality, and purification. Black Tourmaline symbolizes protection and removes negative energy; double the protection power! There are many protection stones hidden in these walls, but this is the first time I've seen two stones combined into one."
"It is beautiful! I'd hate to give it up to Thor if we lost the bet."
I instantly thought of an idea. I take the stone and place it his hands. He looks at me in slight confusion.
"Take it. A gift from me to you. That way you will always be protected from negative thoughts of loneliness and a piece of Vanaheim to remember me by whenever we're apart."
He turns the stone thrice in his hand and gives me a big smile.
"Thank you, Rae-Rae. I shall treasure it always."
We spend the next thirty minutes trying to find more stones. When we all come together to see who the winner was, it was Thor and Garrett. Thanks to Garrett's earth magic abilities, they were able to find more stones than Loki and me. As part of the deal, we give them our remaining stones. As we walk back to our castle, I whisper to Loki, "Sorry that you lost to Thor again. I know you didn't want him to win this time."
"It's alright. Besides," he smirks as he pulls out the stone I gave him from his pocket. "I still have a treasure I get to keep." I giggle in response.
*** 2 weeks later ***
I walk through the gardens in the Asgard palace grounds, looking for Loki. I see him by the pond, reading a book. He hasn't seen me yet. This is a perfect opportunity. I levitate so he doesn't hear me walking. I float behind him and cover his eyes.
"Guess who?" I giggle.
He laughs, "Good to see you too, Rae-Rae."
"Did you read the books I let you borrow?" I ask.
"Yes, I was just finishing up this one. Is your family visiting again?"
"Yes, even my Father has come this time. Apparently, our parents are having an important meeting to 'discuss the truce between Asgard and Vanaheim and how to keep it strong for the centuries to come'; their words, not mine. Thor took Garrett to introduce him to his friends. He offered me to come along, but I said I would meet them another day. Besides, I wanted to spend time with you."
Loki blinks in surprise but then smiles, "Well I appreciate it, Rae-Rae."
"You're welcome. So, you helped me last time with casting illusions, now it's my turn to teach you water magic."
Loki stands up excitedly. "That would be wonderful!"
"Great! Now, since we are by this pond, it is a perfect place to practice. To get started, lets' sit by the edge of the pond."
I sit on the edge and take off my sandals. Loki sits next to me and takes off his boots. Both our feet and hands touch the water.
"To help master water abilities, for beginners, it helps to literally touch the water with bare hands and feet. Familiarize yourself with how the water looks, sounds, and most importantly feels as you move through the water and how it feels when you take your hand out of the water and how it drips off you.
"Water is the element of change. While earth is very stubborn, water is versatile and adaptable as it can take more than one form. Water can change direction when met with an obstacle, like a tree fallen in a stream. It is offensive and defensive at the same time. You follow?"
Loki nods.
"Now, those who are naturally gifted with water should be able to feel a connection with the water and feel the push and pull of it. As you slowly lift your hand, it helps imagining the water being lifted from the pond too, like this."
Loki copies my movements as we slowly lift our hands and stand up. A small stream of water is lifted from the pond and each of us hold a floating ball of clear liquid in our hands.
"Very good, Loki. Now, slowly move your arms from side to side and the water will move along with you. Do you feel the connection with the water?"
"Yes. Why does this feel so relaxing?"
"The body movements are for the most part slow, gentle, and graceful like a stream in summer."
We practice the basic movements for a little while. I'm very impressed. I remember Loki saying he wasn't very good, but he's a natural!
"Now, let's spread our fingers wide and from the center spread out our arms and separate the water orbs into many."
We create many little water orbs and the sunlight shines through making little rainbows.
"This is amazing!" Loki says excitedly.
"Oh, we're just getting started. How about we try turning the water to ice?"
"Umm, alright."
I gather the water drops together, freeze it and toss it in the air. It explodes into a thousand snowflakes that fall gently and instantly melt when the touch the ground. Loki looks amazed.
"Now you try. You don't have to do exactly like I did. If you can at least get your water ball to freeze instantly, that's a start."
Although, instead of freezing the water orb, Loki keeps his right hand raised as the water flows to encase his entire arm and it freezes into a long sword. Loki looks at it perplexed.
"Interesting…I tried to do as you said Rae-Rae but forming a weapon from the ice seems…natural to me. I don't know how to explain it."
"It's alright, Loki. I find it impressive! I'll try it too!"
I make a long sword out of ice too and point it at Loki with a smile.
"Prince Loki of Asgard! I challenge you to a duel!"
Loki smiles and raises his sword too. "I accept your challenge, Princess Raven Amethyst of Vanaheim!" We clash our swords and do play sword fighting for a little bit. We are so caught up in our play that we didn't hear our parents approaching.
"What is going on over here?!" Odin exclaims. Startled, we dropped our swords and they melted back into liquid. Odin looks very stern for some reason. I look at his aura and I see fear. Why is there fear? Frigga places a gentle hand on his arm to calm him down and my parents have perplexed looks on their face when they face Odin. Loki can plainly see the sternness in his Father's gaze and I see his hands tremble a bit.
"We were doing nothing wrong, Father. I swear it! W-We were…We were just," Loki's voice shakes a little.
"I was just teaching him water magic, All Father. He asked me to teach him and then we were playing ice sword fights," I intervene.
"I don't see the need for you to be so stern Odin. It was nothing to worry about; I was watching from afar. It was just harmless play," my Mother says.
"My Daughter, how very generous of you to teach your new friend magic. And you Loki have natural talent! Well done!" my Father praises. Loki slightly blushes and smiles at the compliment.
"Dear, why don't we leave them to their play? We still have much to discuss about the truce," says Frigga. Odin finally nods.
"Very well. You two carry on with your play."
"Y-Yes Father."
Queen Frigga comes to kiss Loki on his forehead. "Keep practicing, my Son," she says lovingly.
Loki finally smiles brightly, "I will, Mother. Thank you."
Our parents leave us alone as we once were. I turn to Loki and say, "I agree with my Father. You really do have natural talent with water."
"Thanks Rae-Rae and thanks for standing up for me."
"Anytime! I think I still have at least two more hours before my family and I must head back home. How about I show you my favorite thing I can do with water?"
"Alright, show me."
I let my toes touch the edge of the pond and I concentrate. I take a step onto the water surface and I dance around a little; couldn't help but to show off. I still create ripples when I walk on the water, but my feet don't sink in. Loki stares at my feet, amazed.
"Can all water elementals walk on water?!"
"Yes, it's so much fun. I frequently do it all the time. I find it easy, but it does take a little concentration. It's best to do it with bare feet. Do you want to try it?" I hold out my hand in invitation. He looks slightly unsure, but eager to try it. He takes my hand and slowly steps onto the water. He takes a few steps to the center and looks back at me with a huge grin on his face.
"Unbelievable! I can walk on water! Oh, the endless ways I can trick Thor with this," he schemes with a mischievous smile. Somehow, him saying trick gives me an idea. Behind my back, I wiggle my fingers, so he doesn't see them glow purple. Behind his head, come several butterflies that flutter around his head and fly really close to his eyes. He swats them away and that is enough to break his concentration. He falls through the water but comes back up to the surface. I laugh as he mock glares me.
"I'm impressed. Your illusions are improving. But you are no match for me."
Suddenly, I feel something creep up my arm and I look down. There is a Cobra Beetle crawling on me. I usually love all kinds of creatures, insects included, but this was one bug I was frightened of the most. I shriek and try to swat it away, but I lose my balance and land in the water. Now it's Loki's turn to laugh at me. Most people would probably be mad, but not me. It's kind of funny! It was quite silly of me to fall for Loki's illusions when I just used one on him. Loki stops laughing momentarily when he sees that I'm smiling. He tilts his head in confusion.
"You're not mad?"
I look at him, confused. "No, why would I be?"
"Most people either get mad or upset when I pull pranks on them. You're the first that hasn't reacted like that."
"Remember Loki, there is no foul in a harmless prank. Besides, it is only fair. I pranked you, didn't I? So, you pranked me back. Simple karma, how I love thee. Sooner or later, you are going to realize that I'm not like most people," I say with a gentle smile. Loki reciprocates. We walk out of the water and remove the waterdrops from our clothes and place them back into the pond, leaving our clothes dry once more. We spend some more time practicing illusions and elemental magic, when I hear:
"Raven Amethyst! It's time to go dear!" I hear my Mother call. I sigh in disappointment.
"I guess, it's time for me to go home." I turn to catch up to my parents.
"WAIT!" I hear Loki shout behind me. I turn to see Loki pluck a green daylily from the garden and speak a spell to the flower. He tucks it behind my ear.
"A gift from me to you. It's enchanted; so, it would never wither. If you are ever missing me in Vanaheim, you'll always have something to remember me by."
I stare at him in shock, touched by a gift in a similar manner I bestowed to him two weeks ago.
"I shall treasure it always, Loki" I echo to him. Before my courage fails me, I give him a friendly peck goodbye on his left check and I run to my parents. I quickly look over my shoulder and see Loki standing still, eyes wide and face as red as an Idunn's apple, his hand touching his cheek. I couldn't help but laugh.
Author's note: With this chapter in particular, I tried my best to research martial arts as a whole. I'm not an expert, and I'm currently trying to teach myself tai chi. So, if you think I'm getting the information wrong or misinterpreting it, please feel free to comment and I'll learn as I go along. Also, as this story progresses I plan on writing a few more chapters that explore Loki and Raven's friendship as they grow up together and then write chapters exploring their relationship as adults.