A/N: Huge thanks to ForeverisGone13 (Jon Snow!) and derpfacedapperson (nice username) for reviewing. The rest of you - I know you're out there: I can see you guys on my Traffic Stats. REVIEW, please. In the meantime, enjoy Odin yelling at the kids. And thank you for reading!

Chapter 4: Of Flames and Punishment

"Did you really suppose that you could get away clean with that?" Odin Allfather seethed. "All five of you, acting like infants! I don't suppose that any of you had taken a minute to think that perhaps this would end badly for all of you, including Loki? It's a minor consolation that Thor was not involved, lest my anger be far worse." Rather than yelling, his voice had taken on a low and dangerous quality.

Astrid shrank under his gaze, wishing she could recite the invisibility spell once more. What she wouldn't give to go back in time and change the recent past -

"And furthermore, you have caused invariable damage to the library. Books that have been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years - burned and gone," Odin narrowed his eyes at the five children, who quailed under his glare. "Please, enlighten me as to what exactly was going through your minds when you thought of this."

Astrid swallowed. It had all been fine, until Loki had walked in too early.

!~!

Less than an hour earlier, Fandral stepped back to inspect his handiwork.

"That should complete it, friends." He pursed his lips and nodded. "We should leave before Loki comes. And that should be soo-"

In a case of possibly the worst timing in the history of Asgard, Astrid heard footsteps clacking against the marble floor - right outside the library.

Sif stiffened. "Hide!" she hissed.

Volstagg and Hogun exchanged horrified glances with Fandral and darted off towards the back of the library. Sif threw an anxious glance towards Astrid, who had raced off to the West Wing with a hurried, "Follow me!" thrown over her shoulder. With a gulp, Sif went after her.

A small, serious face poked its way through the doorway. "Hello?" Loki called, and through an empty space in a bookshelf Astrid saw him narrow his eyes as he stepped inside. "Is anyone here?"

Please don't see us please don't see us please don't see us, she chanted silently, a mantra in her head designed and failing to keep her calm. If they were caught...

Astrid felt an arm on her shoulder. She turned slowly to see Sif place a silent finger on her lips and gesture towards the second level of the library, where she could just make out three small silhouettes. The boys motioned to Sif and Astrid wildly.

Loki, meanwhile, stepped forward to stand in front of a bookshelf. Astrid froze again, hands clenched. Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg were well-hidden up on the second floor, but Sif and she were practically sitting ducks. All they could do was remain still and pray that Loki didn't look up and see them.

However, the prince was busy. Reaching up and pulling a thick book from its shelved brothers, he opened its dusty pages with a look of peace on his fine-carved features.

Astrid sucked in a silent breath. He was so close to the wire, invisible to the eye. Just a little closer, and-

Loki looked up, and locked gazes with her. He smirked knowingly at her and raised his foot, imitating her own foot earlier that same day. He cocked his head to the side and flicked out the front of his foot. "Hmm. I wonder what this does?" he mocked.

It's okay. He doesn't know what it does, she thought, almost calmly. The worst part was that he had seen through her invisibility like it was nothing. I was a fool to think this was going to work. Wait, a -

Breaking the twine, which flickered out of invisibility as it snapped with an almost inaudible twang. Since Loki hadn't tripped, and his hand hadn't landed on the circle, the sphere didn't move. It simply sat there; if a ball could look sad, it had on an expression of absolute loneliness. Damn.

Loki lifted his head up. "Did you really think I was going to fall for such a crude trap as that?" he asked all of them. The five remained silent. "I would have thought that the Swords-master had taught you at least simple traps. What was this meant to do?"

He walked over to the lighter. "I will admit that I've never seen one of these before. A Midgardian object salvaged from the garbage, perhaps? Is it, perhaps, meant to-"

Loki narrowed his eyes, and pressed the switch curiously. With a snap, a small flame burst out of the lighter. It wasn't much, but it startled him enough that he threw the lighter away from himself instinctively. It hit a wooden bookshelf near Loki and sparks exploded everywhere as the lighter burst apart. Liquid spewed onto some of the books on the lowest shelf. And six sparks of fire leaped onto the liquid.

Before Astrid could register what was happening, flames were licking up the wooden shelves, spreading faster than she could ever have imagined.

A scream echoed from somewhere far away. Astrid looked up, her eyes wide. Loki was gone.

Hogun was shoving Volstagg and Fandral away with a panicked shout. The three of them rushed down a flight of stairs and waved wildly for Sif and Astrid to follow them before sprinting out of the huge golden entrance doors.

Sif shook her head. "No Midgarian fire could spread this fast," she murmured to Astrid.

"You seem surprisingly calm about the fact that we're about to be burned alive!" Astrid yelled back as flames jumped from one shelf to the next. Pages curled and blackened as the fire ate at them - more than half of the library was consumed.

"We should get out of here." Sif began running towards the door.

Astrid glanced around her once, feeling the heat of the fire on her face. It hadn't reached her yet, but who knew how many books it would consume? With a rock of remorse entering her stomach, she grabbed three random books off a blazing shelf and ran.

Behind her, Astrid heard a crash as the first of the racks crumpled to the ground.

!~~!

"Whose idea was it?" Odin asked suddenly. "All of you - who was the ringleader?"

Silence.

Astrid looked up at Odin fearfully. It hadn't been her idea exactly, with the fire, but if she had gone to training this morning none of it might have happened.

"Fine." Odin pinched the bridge of his nose in quiet rage. "I have no choice but to punish each of you severely, so as to see that nothing like this ever happens again."

Next to her, Volstagg shifted uncomfortably, and Fandral and Sif exchanged petrified glances.

"As you are but children, none of you will be burdened with eternal torment-"

Astrid's heart skipped a beat. Eternal torment? That's what could happen?

"-but understand, that if anything like anything likening to this happens ever again, such punishment as that will happen. Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, you are to go to the library and spend the rest of the next sixteen hours salvaging any books that have not been burned beyond repair."

There wouldn't be many of those. Warriors had arrived to extinguish the inferno, but not before it had devoured most of the library.

"Sif, you are to personally apologize to the Book-keeper."

Sif gritted her teeth and nodded curtly. It was well-known that the Book-keeper was waspish to a fault. Needless to say, Sif had her work cut out for her.

"Now, leave."

The four of them started. What about Astrid?

"Please, children." Odin said, and Astrid could tell that they were testing his patience. Fandral stepped forwards bravely - or foolishly.

"Allfather, what about Astri-"

"Leave!" Odin boomed, his voice resonating. Fandral blanched, and nodded quickly, hightailing it out of the room without so much as a sympathetic glance in Astrid's direction. The second the door slammed shut, Odin ran a hand down his face. "Children," he muttered quietly to himself.

Astrid looked up at him, and then turned to Frigga, sitting elegantly next to Odin, for guidance. Frigga shook her head. "Allfather, please. I-"

He waved for her to be silent. "Astrid. I must be frank when I say that you and Loki have never enjoyed each other's company."

"Well... yes, Allfather." What else could she say?

"Nevertheless, I will not make assumptions as to who the head culprit was. While you and Loki are not confidants, I believe that the both of you should sustain a friendship of some kind. I can see no reason as to why not, can you?"

"No, Allfather."

"Therefore, I will leave you with two choices. Either, I leave Ægir and Rán to deal with you-"

Astrid involuntarily tensed. Her mother and father were estranged from their eldest daughter, at best, living far away, on the isle of Hlésey. They would not appreciate a disaster such as this staining their names.

"-or, I shall spare you from this, on the condition that you apologize properly to my younger son."

Astrid closed her eyes. She didn't think she was physically capable of doing that. Yet she opened her mouth anyway.

"I will apologize, Allfather, to Loki," Astrid grimaced.