Chapter Four: Books and Signs of Magic

A/N: I had an idea that made her being a Loki Fangirl make sense. And she will be just like Jane when she gets older, intelligent and a bookworm in her spare time. Anyway, trying to upload as many chapters as I can before I go on a brief 4 day field trip toWashington D.C. this Wednesday with my school's band. I'll say what I did in my last fic: we'll be touring, walking around, taking selfies by monuments, and there might be a short cruise involved, so I won't have time to update. I wrote until the middle of chapter 10. Then writer's block kicked in. The more chapters I write, the more random and stupid this story seems to me. I hope you don't feel the same when you read these. Anyway, read, maybe review, and enjoy!

When breakfast was over, Angel flew to her room. (Scientifically, it shouldn't even be possible for her wings to be fully operational, let alone keep her airborne. But what did science know? This is magic.) After she half crashed, half landed on her bed, she folded her wings and walked to her dresser. She really didn't care what people thought about how she looked, so she settled for a sparkly pink skirt (no, not a tutu), polka dot flip-flops, and a bright blue T-shirt. She flew back downstairs and waited for Jane. 'There's nothing like chocolate chip pancakes and stretching your wings in the morning!' she thought. Jane came downstairs wearing blue jeans, Nike sneakers, and a white T-shirt that said "Science!" in the middle of it. Nerdy, some would say. Angel thought the look suited Jane just fine.

"Ready to go?" she asked, slinging a purse over her shoulder.

""Yep!" was her excited answer. They walked a few blocks in the early afternoon sun and ended up in front of the public library. "What's a li-luh… Li-bra-ry?" she asked, stumbling over the pronunciation.

"Well, it's a place where you can borrow books, hang out and relax, use a computer…"

"I can get books?" Angel asked. She ran right into the door and collided with the glass in her over eagerness. (Most kids would call a library lame, or boring. Not this one. She was a nerd, and proud of it.) "Ow! Stupid door." She turned the handle and shuffled inside, Jane laughing behind her. Angel looked like she was in Heaven. Towering rows upon rows of books, magazines, comics, and posters surrounded the awestruck child.

"Amazing, isn't it?" whispered Jane thoughtfully.

"Do we have to be quiet?" was the response. The older "sister" nodded. They walked over to the main desk. From there, angel got a library card and, needless to say, became the next Matilda. She loved reading fantasy and mystery books. But, what she was hooked on most was Norse Mythology. Yep, you heard right, Norse Mythology. It's a wonder what searching through random books can lead to. Loki and Thor were the only people she wanted to read about at the time. Both were princes of a far away kingdom called Asgard, a city of gold the Vikings worshipped. Their king was Odin, the All-Father. The queen was a mage (magic wielder it said) named Frigga. Loki though, was her favorite.

He was the youngest, he was never treated fairly, he's a mamma's boy, he had magic. She guessed she had magic. She could fly, of course she had magic… right? Her thoughts made her head spin as she dragged the heavy thick book to the table. As she opened it and flipped through the pages, she came across a hammer illustrated under a chapter titled Getting Back Mjölnir. "Jane!" she whispered loudly, "Can we get this one?" She bookmarked the page she was just on.

"Which one?" Jane asked, strolling over and holding a book on astrophysics. Angel handed her the book, Norse Mythology For Beginners,. Her face scrunched up. "Why this one?"

"It has magic, and elves, and dwarves, and magic-"

"Okay, okay. This is the last one, alright?" Jane added it to the pile of 11 books already picked out. Backpacks might've been a smart plan, if they'd thought about it. They each carried 6 books each; Angel hardly struggled, even with the Norse mythology book, the three blocks back to their house.

XxX

Later that night…

"Jane, can you read me a story?" Angel pleaded for the fifth time.

"*sigh* Alright. Which book am I gonna read from?" she replied.

"The Norse mythology one! On the bookmarked page!"

Why she was interested in mythology of all things was beyond Jane. Then again, Angel kept going on about elves, dwarves, dragons, giants, pixies, magic… And half of the books had been out of the fantasy section. Getting back m-juh- m-juh- Mjoh-near?" Jane stumbled over the name.

"It's super hilarious, but I don't really understand it all. Can you read it to me, please?" Angel practically begged, directing her big beautiful puppy dog look eyes at Jane.

"Okay."

XxX

(If it helps, imagine Anthony Hopkins narrating this. Like in the Thor movies!)

Long ago in the Realm Eternal, there lived two young and adventurous princes. Thor, the elder of the two, was the God of Thunder. Loki, the younger one, was the magic wielding God of Mischief. Thor was blonde, muscled, tall, and held the mighty hammer Mjölnir in his right hand, wearing his silver and blue armor and billowing scarlet cape. Loki held an inscribed magic staff in his hands, wearing dark brown leather/green and silver metal armor and emerald green floor length cape.

Loki was known for his magical prowess, quick thinking, and ability to easily influence and lie with his words. Thor was known for his bravery, leadership, and ferocity in battle. However, his rash decision making would be his downfall. Loki always did love pranking his brother. Thor was angry, however, and attempted to make his brother pay. His actions resulted in his hammer somehow being sent to the realm of fire giants. Their king, Surtur, would only return it if he could have the hand of the beautiful goddess Freya. This is when Loki developed a plan. Thor would dress as Freya in a long dress and veil to cover his bearded face and (now remember, this is a children's book of sorts, so…) hairy man legs.

Angel burst out laughing at the description. "What?" asked Jane, unable to contain a smile at the words herself. Angel shook her head and held her sides.

"H-hairy m-man l-legs!" she barely managed to say. Jane rolled her eyes and continued after her sister recomposed herself.

After the dress was tailored, the servant swore secrecy to the princes. Thor had one tailored for Loki as well. What is a bride without a bridesmaid? he had asked. At first, Loki had protested the idea. Surely his magic was more than enough to hide his appearance? Thor pointed out that his magic could fail (not likely) or be blocked. Loki, hating but knowing that his brother was right, reluctantly agreed. The next day, Loki led Thor to a secret portal to (I didn't research all the details, but I know some parts of the story. Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere, but I'm putting my own twist on this story) Musulpheim. Using the bifrost would attract Odin's, the All Father/King and father of the two, attention. They were greeted by a platoon of fire giant guards. The guards led them to their king.

The king threw a feast to celebrate his "marriage". Loki stuck to their plan as much as possible. Thor threw caution to the wind. Without thinking during the feast, he ate as much as possible. If you ever invite an Asgardian to your house for dinner, make sure you have lots of food. Surtur became suspicious and Loki, always cleaning up his brother's messes, came up with a lie. "Freya", in her eagerness, had not eaten for days on end. The king seemed to believe him, but remained suspicious nonetheless. When it came time for the wedding ceremony to commence, the princes put their plan into action.

Right before the veil was lifted, Loki threw a blast of magic at Surtur. The fight didn't last long as thunder rumbled overhead and lightning crackled across the fiery horizon. Thor called to Mjölnir and she answered. After Thor made Surtur surrender, he and Loki returned to Asgard via the Bifrost. Odin, of course, was waiting for them. He scolded them for doing something foolish and losing a powerful weapon in another realm. The brothers were barred from seeing their friends, Lady Sif and the warriors Three, and ended up confined to the palace to do busy work. Loki received the brunt of the punishment. You must not use magic irresponsibly, why would you open a portal, why would sneak off?! All were questions directed at Loki. Though everything was initially caused by Thor, all fingers were pointed at Loki…

"But Loki was just trying to help…" were Angel's last words before she fell asleep. The astrophysicist closed the book quietly and set it on the nightstand. She dimmed the lights, smiling at the sleeping girl before her. 'Sleep tight,' Jane thought, kissing her sister on the head and tucking her in before leaving and closing the door behind her.