Hey guys...It's been a rough few months for me, but I've recently been inspired to write again, so I'm taking this back up, and I'm sticking with it until it's done!

Disclaimer: I don't own Thor or any of the characters, and I don't own any mythology.


Suddenly, she crashed into something very solid, and not-so-gracefully, she fell onto her backside. She was about to swear at whatever inanimate object she had plowed into, when she found herself staring into a pair of startlingly familiar, concerned green eyes.

Sarah could do nothing but stare blankly at the man before her, jaw hanging agape and blinking rapidly. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of magenta due to her clumsiness, and surprisingly to the proximity of the man she had just collided with. The man tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow before kneeling down to help the fallen woman. She averted her gaze, trying to hide the very visible redness in her face.

"I…uh…I'm…sorry about that," stammered Sarah, the vivid blush creeping even further up her cheeks. She gathered enough courage to look back at the man, and everything came crashing back again. The eyes, the concern, the shape of the cheekbones…Sarah gasped, causing the man to start, and she backed away before rushing back towards him.

"You," she breathed, "you were there, you saw me, I remember you! You were there!" She rushed the man grasping at his hands. "How did I get here? You saw me come, you were there, how did I get here?" Her eyes fervently searched his face for an answer. The man blinked a few times, surprised, before responding to the wide-eyed girl.

"I know not of the circumstances of your arrival," he replied, "I was merely summoned to retrieve you by Heimdall when you appeared on the Bifrost." Something in his chest tugged a little as he watched the woman's face fall. He released himself from her grasp, and watched her hands fall limply to her side. It would seem that she was almost as upset about the mystery of her arrival as he was.

"I do not believe that we have been formally introduced," the man said, breaking Sarah out of her gloomy daydream. "I am Loki Odinson, God of Mischief and Prince of Asgard." Sarah looked at the prince, stunned at his lengthy introduction.

"I'm…" she searched for anything relevant from her past to attach to her name. "I'm Saran Morgenson…former dancer and…well, that's it really." Loki slightly raised an eyebrow and the edges of his mouth twitched. Sarah fumbled under his gaze. "It's…er, it's not as impressive as your stuff, but it's what I've got. Er, sorry." Loki gave in and let out a soft chuckle at this.

"Not to worry, milady," he replied, "Might I suggest that we return you to the Healing Chambers before all of Asgard is turned upside down looking for you?" Sarah grinned sheepishly and nodded. She walked beside the prince down the hallway that had led her to the atrium. It was lucky for her that Loki had shown up when he had, because there would have been no way that Sarah could have found her way back in the expansive golden maze.

"If I may ask," said Loki, breaking the silence between the two, "What exactly were you doing back there when I ran into you?" Sarah giggled a bit at the pun, and did a twirl again before responding.

"I was dancing," she said simply. "I missed it so much."

"Missed it?" asked the prince. Sarah nodded simply, and gestured to her leg.

"When I was 21, I had been recruited out of college for one of the most élite dance companies in the country," she said. "David DelFonte ran a troupe that held the fiercest dancers in America. I was shocked and thrilled all at once, and of course I said yes, you know, you have to follow your passion, especially when given that kind of chance. Anyways, after a few months of understudy," she paused, looking at Loki for a sign of recognition, and when she found none, sighed and began to explain. "It's like being someone's replacement, for if they can't perform for some reason…" she looked back quickly and saw the god nodding. "Anyways, after a few months of understudy and rigorous practice, David moved me to the stage…all dancing in the background, of course, I was still new, you know, you have to earn your place. Then, a few months later, he tells me that he's crafting a piece especially for me. I was speechless. Having the best choreographer and director in the country, creating something that is based around you…it's an astounding feeling. Well, he did the piece, and there was this one move…" Sarah paused, trying not to let emotions distract her, especially not in front of a Prince…and God. "There was this one move. It…it was difficult, to say the least. There were girls who had been in the company far longer than I had, and even they couldn't manage it properly. I would barely make it through on each rehearsal, and David would yell at me to clean up my transitions, but I was so afraid. So I ran it again, and again, and again, until it was passable." Sarah noticed that she had slowed her step, almost to a stop, and picked up the pace again, shaking her head as if that could clear the memories away.

"Well, it came to opening night. And there I was, backstage, all dressed up like a doll, and the music started. And everything was perfect. My backups were brilliant, the costumes were beautiful, and the theatre was completely full of people. I was so…so damn confident…"Sarah faltered again, slowing once more, and then coming to a complete stop. "I threw myself into the move…and I blew it. I landed so very, very wrong." She paused, lifting up the skirt of her gown, and frowned slightly at the sight of her still present scars. "My knee…it was, for lack of a better word…destroyed. Two surgeries later, and a plate of metal where my bone used to be, I was out of commission for almost half a year. I knew that there was no chance of me returning to the company, you know, but I went back anyways."

She sighed, releasing the hem of her skirt and watching it waterfall to the floor. "He offered me a job at his school. I wasn't dancing, my injury physically wouldn't allow it. I was…teaching. Teaching couples how to dance for their wedding. Teaching little girls how to point their toes. It was everything that I had hoped I would never become, you know, it was my…my rock bottom." She glanced back up at the prince, his face unreadable.

"And then all of a sudden, I'm drowning, and then I'm here, and then I can dance again, and here I am now," she finished in one breath, looking expectantly at Loki.

Loki stared at Sarah, with a faint mixture of shock and pity upon his face. He could not imagine losing his magic, not even for a few moments, never mind the rest of his existence. She had gone through a fair amount in her short life. He concluded that she was strong. That brought another twitch to the corners of his mouth. Sarah slightly tilted her head to the side in confusion, and raised an eyebrow at the god.

"You are…strong," he said, feeling the need to break the silence again. "Well. Strong for a human," he added, a glint of a smile in his green eyes. Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes, and the pair continued to walk back to the Healing Chambers.


Loki stole quick glances at the human girl as they continued their journey in silence. She truly was something, though what he could not tell. But his thoughts soured as he remembered the girl's lack of information. He has sincerely hoped that she would be able to provide them with something to go on, something that would lead them to learn of this disruption in the universe. Loki's thoughts continued to spiral downwards on the way back to Eir.

Bah, humans were not strong. They may be able to withstand emotional trauma, but what use were they, if their weak bodies could break at the slightest misstep? And how could they simply lose memories? How could this girl not remember her way here? Unconscious or not, there must have been something bizarre that would have informed the girl of…

Informed her of what? Loki held back a sigh, and calmed himself down. Yes, humans were not as advanced as the Aesir, but perhaps they had some redeeming qualities. Nothing that would be as impressive as an Asgardian, but there had to be a few things that were good about the inferior race.

The pair came to the gilded doors to find Hall, Amund, Eir, and several other guards outside the healing hall. Loki cleared his throat softly, and all activity halted at once. The guards saluted the Prince, and Eir fell into a graceful curtsy.

"It seems as though I have found your missing girl," announced the Prince. The guards looked around sheepishly as Eir approached Sarah.

"Sarah, are you well?" she asked, "Have you hurt yourself? Is your mind in a state of peace?" Sarah nodded, and glanced around at the soon-to-have-been-but-then-it-wasn't-assembled search party. She grinned sheepishly at the guards, and turned towards the group to apologize.

"I'm fine," she replied, "I'm sorry to have caused such a fuss, I just…I just had to dance, you know? It kind of…just came over me. Sorry to have caused all the trouble." Eir smiled and led the girl back into the healing hall, with Loki in tow. He dismissed the guards with a wave and they saluted once more before returning to whatever duties they had been assigned to.

Sarah flopped rather gracefully back onto her plush bed, and sat up as Eir came to sit beside her. "Sarah, I feel it would be best if you stayed here for a few more days. I see no lingering injuries or problems, but I would like to make sure that nothing does happen. Is that all right?" Sarah nodded, and Eir smiled. "I think it would be best if you slept a bit more, my child. Here, take this," said the Goddess, handing another small vial to Sarah; this one was midnight blue in color. She unstopped the bottle, and with a breath, swallowed the whole thing. Immediately, the potion began to take affect; Sarah's muscles relaxed and her eyelids began to droop. She leaned back into the plush pillows, blinking slowly, and rolled herself into a comfortable position. She caught Loki's eyes before sleep overcame her.


"So she truly remembers nothing?" the prince questioned the healer. He had been so desperate, so angry, that he was unable to believe until this moment that the girl was telling the truth. Loki briefly noticed that she smiled in her slumber before turning back to the goddess of healing.

"As I said before, she does not seem to remember anything after the accident," replied Eir. "I do possess a fair few memory and mind potions, but they were created specifically for the Aesir and the Gods. She is a human, Prince Loki, and I have not the faintest idea of what effect those tonics would have on her." Loki nodded, and began to pace again. Eir smiled. "You know what your mother would say about your pacing, Loki." The prince turned on her, not in anger, but with a mischievous grin on his face. Of all of the gods in all of Asgard, Eir had always been one of Loki's favorites. As a child, being much smaller and more susceptible to injury and illness, he spent quite a bit of time in her healing hall. The fondness that he held for her as a child still lingered to this day.

"Well, it's a good thing that my dear mother isn't here then" the Prince responded with a gleam in his eye. He turned a final time, his gaze coming to rest upon the sleeping girl. Upon Sarah, as she had said her name was. He felt a bizarre pull towards her; maybe Heimdall was correct in his Sight. Loki did not know what was in store for him or for the girl, but he had promised to protect her. He inclined his head in respect to Eir and made his way to the door. With one hand on the gilded handle, he turned to Eir once more.

"Do see that she remains safe, Eir. There is something that we need her for, and though I may not know what it is, I intend to find out."