It was a very, very hot day in Asgard.

That being said, Ana thought it the perfect day to visit her meadow. As she gazed up at the sun, she regretted not making plans with Loki or Thor—today would've been the perfect day to go for a swim in their favourite spot. But alas, as far as Ana knew, the two princes were at their own lessons. Lessons…where Ana should've been. Where Ana wasn't. No doubt her mother would hear about her absence, but Ana rarely skipped out on them anymore, and if she was going to at all, today seemed the perfect occasion. When the time came to break for lunch, Ana headed off toward her meadow.

She wasn't a bad student. In fact, Ana was among the brighter of the pupils. She may have even been the top of her class if she weren't so invested in her daydreaming. Ana liked her lessons well enough, but she felt them confining. She wished that her teachers would allow them more freedom and creativity in their otherwise dull tasks. After all, they were now nearing sixteen years of age, a fairly mature age, in her eyes.

Ana hopped through the forest in her white dress and leather-bound sandals, carrying a few books under her arm. It had been a while since she'd really been alone in the meadow. She didn't mind Loki's company, in fact, she welcomed it, but today would be a nice break. The last time she'd even considered going to the meadow alone had been when she was upset by her mother, and even then, Loki had miraculously appeared.

The meadow was bright with sun—beautiful, really. Ana slid off her sandals and let her feet slide into the cool stream. Sweat rolled down her face and she attempted to fan herself. She decided to ignore the heat and read a book instead. Burying her face in the pages, she sighed. The sun was becoming unbearable. Soon, her entire body was coated in a thin layer of sweat.

Well, there was no one around, anyway, and the stream was deep enough for Ana to at least wade in. She didn't want to get her dress wet, so she merely took it off. It was invigorating, being bare in the forest. Ana wondered if this is how it was at some distant time in the past. Did people really walk around freely like this? It seemed very relaxing. She slid into the stream and rinsed her body with water, feeling its coolness.

A rustle in the bushes.

Ana spun around and blinked, covering her chest and sinking into the water, alarmed. She didn't have to look far. In the middle of the meadow stood a tall, thin, and very pale Loki, holding a few heavy books to his chest. Very pale, indeed—except for the bright red spots on his cheeks.

Ana felt her face grow very heated. "Were you spying on me?" Ana said incredulously.

Loki's eyes only widened. He began to frantically shake his head. His mouth opened as if trying to say something, but Ana cut him off.

"You—turn around!" Ana shouted. Loki spun around obediently, dropping all of his books. Ana rose from the stream and hastily dressed herself.

"I wasn't spying," Loki stammered out. It might've been funny to hear the Silvertongue fumble his words if the situation wasn't so embarrassing for Ana. Ana marched around him to face him. He looked absolutely distraught. "Honestly, I didn't know," Loki said, expression full of apology and alarm.

Ana swatted him with one of her shoes. "Well you didn't seem to mind staring at me!" she said, face still red. She continued to hit him with her shoe as he flinched, muttering apologies.

"I—Ana! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" he said as she continued to swat him.

Ana stopped and folded her arms. "It better not." She watched him with a mildly annoyed expression, eyes narrowing until she could no longer keep a smile from spreading across her face. She stepped back and wrung out her wet hair, chuckling to herself as Loki watched her curiously.

"You should've seen your face," she said with a grin. She would never forget the time she rendered Loki Odinson, the prince with the silver tongue, incapable of speech.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"What did I say? Those are for Thor." Ana swatted Loki's hand away from the plate of treats she was holding as they walked through the palace halls.

"Yes, yes, always Thor," Loki muttered, a scowl at his lips. He walked with his eyes straight ahead and his hands linked tightly behind his back.

"You've eaten them before!" Ana protested. "Besides, I promised him a whole plateful, and you know Thor. He'll know if you've eaten any." She gave Loki a smile, to which he responded with a look that conveyed his utter annoyance at the situation.

"Now be a good prince and open the door for me," she said, nodding toward the door to Thor's room. Loki held her gaze for a moment, but opened the door as she asked.

"Ana!" Thor's voice boomed from inside the room. "And my dear brother! Come in, both of you!" Ana stepped inside the room. It was, essentially, Thor. Every decoration, every gadget, every sword on the wall or tapestry had a Thor-like quality about it. Ana couldn't explain it, but she smiled upon entering the room.

Loki kept a safe step behind her, quiet as ever.

Thor enveloped her in a hug, and Ana tried to keep the plate steady. "I brought these for you, like I promised!" she said cheerily. Thor's eyes widened, as if she'd brought him gold, which, truth be told, she may as well have.

"You, my lady, are perfection embodied," he said, taking the plate and kissing her hand. Loki made an odd sound, somewhere between a gag and a cough, but it went unheard by the other two.

Ana laughed. "Maybe you should try them first, before you go praising me," she said. Thor raised his eyebrows and took a bite of the pastry. He closed his eyes and smiled widely, a very Thor smile. It was the little things such as these that made him so endearing. Ana smiled in return—his grin was somehow contagious. Thor could make just about anyone smile, with the exception of Loki.

"It's amazing, and so are you!" Thor said. He picked Ana up by the waist—which was no feat, these days, as the boys were growing ever larger and Ana seemed to not grow at all—and spun her around.

"Don't do that!" Ana laughed as he set her down. To be quite honest, she loved it, but she'd never admit to it. It made her feel objectified, somehow.

"Apologies," Thor said. "My excitement gets the better of me." He stuffed another pastry in his mouth, chewing.

"Among other things," Loki commented snidely. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, watching the pair of them with lidded eyes.

Ana snorted. "Loki's just mad because I told him he couldn't have any."

"Yes, I am ever-so consumed with envy over the pastries," Loki said, voice brimming with sarcasm and bitterness.

Thor grinned. "Perhaps next time, brother. But this plate is mine." He stuffed yet another pastry in his mouth. Ana tried to stop him, warning him he could get a stomach ache, but Thor contended that no stomach ache had ever plagued him before, to which Loki made another snide comment about "the mighty Thor". After a while, Loki left the room and ventured to the library to read-up on his magic. Ana stayed in Thor's room until dusk, then left for home.

She ventured to the library in attempts to say goodbye to Loki before she left. Loki, however, decided to practice the art of invisibility, hiding in the shadows until Ana gave up and went home without saying goodbye.

Hope you liked the chapter XD Heh, jealous Loki. Hopefully I'll be getting into the complexities of their oh-so-complicated relationship soon. Thanks for the reviews!