Chapter 34: Learning to Dance in the Rain
Disclaimer: read prologue
Songs: Dance in the Rain - Jana Kramer
Fairy Dance - Peter Pan OST
After a three-round game of thumb wrestling with Loki winning by cheat, the two decided to go for a walk around the woods, heading to the waterfall. It was beautiful to look at.
Loki discovered the water's temperature by losing his step at the slippery rocks and fell in. Kelsey laughed as Loki's head popped out from the waters. His groomed hair was now in front of his eyes. He looked like a wet rat.
"How's the water?" Kelsey asked.
"Oh, Valhalla!" Loki began to panic, treading water and splashing arms to pull himself above water. "I-I can't - I can't swim!" He quickly sank back in the water.
Kelsey was no longer smiling into confusion. Was he joking? Can he not swim? Didn't his parents teach him how? All she could do was stand there and watch.
He popped out again and stared at her in disbelief as he struggled to keep his head up. "No - not fair! I saved your life! Odin knows how many times!"
"No way!" Kelsey shook her head. "It's too cold! I don't want to go in there." A part of Kelsey wanted to jump in and save him, but the water might be cold, and Loki was more cumbersome than her. The more she stood there, the guiltier she felt.
"Look, just kick your feet and move your arms!" she advised.
Loki was struggling by the look of it. He sank under, and Kelsey waited for him to swim to shore. Fifteen seconds had gone by since he went under. Kelsey was slowly becoming scared.
"Loki? Loki, come on!" Kelsey cursed under her breath before screaming out. "Come on! I don't want to save you now!"
Another twenty seconds passed by, no Loki. Kelsey knew what she had to do. She promised not to ruin Sif's outfit; though, life was more important than a silky jumpsuit.
"Screw it," Kelsey muttered before jumping in the water as well. Surprisingly, the water was warm. That's the first thing she noticed. It wasn't freezing at all. Her head came up, streaks of hair were in front of her eyes. She pushed them out of the way, pulled her top up to hide the cleavage and searched for her friend.
"Loki! Loki!" She went under to find him, but it was too dark to see. All she could see was the moon's reflection. She came up the water, gasping for air, "Loki Odinson, you better not be dead already!"
"Don't worry, love. I'm not."
Kelsey whirled around to see Loki standing by shore away from the waterfall. He was stretching his arms out, smirking down at soaked Kelsey, who didn't look to please with her friend right now.
"You know, this is a good spot to dry yourself."
'Loki, I'm going to kill you!' She thought but had a better idea than express her anger out loud. She laughed with him. "Ha. Ha. Very funny." She swam towards him and extended her arm out for his, "At least, help me out, would you?"
Loki chuckled as he squatted down and grasped her hand, ready to pull her up; but Kelsey had a trick up her sleeve. Before Loki realized what she's about to do, she yanked him down, pulling him in the water.
Kelsey laughed as he came up, looking like a wet rat again. Loki pulled his hair away from his eyes to give Kelsey a disbelief look, silently asking what just happened.
"I thought you like tricks?" Kelsey asked.
Loki's shocked face changed into a playful evil look. "You're going to pay for that, my dear."
Kelsey widened her eyes in fright but playfully screamed as he began to splash and chased her across the waterhole.
...
After all the fun and games were done, they returned to their picnic. Somehow the basket of food and wine disappeared. All it's left was the golden blanket. Loki suggested that the elves that were lurking behind the trees took it. They didn't doubt the elves were listening in their conversations. Kelsey felt violated at that thought but thought best if she was left exposed to others. It's high time she was opened and honest to people and creatures all over.
They reclined on the golden blanket, holding hand in hand, looking at the stars above them. Their hair and clothes were soaking the cover, drying their backs off. The stars were so much different than the stars back at the earth. They were more up close, some had more color like silver and gold, and some had collided together into groups.
Kelsey's eyes twinkled at the sight of space. They were stunning.
"I get it," she whispered.
Loki turned his head to the side to meet her eyes with his red ones. After the heartfelt conversation they had, he didn't feel the need to change back to his Asgardian form. He was relaxed, happy, and relieved.
"Get what?" he wondered.
She shrugged. "Hard to explain."
Loki's mouth twirled in a challenging smirk. "Try me."
"Well... My aunt. Her job is to investigate space. I didn't understand why she does it as a career..." Her gaze returned to the stars. "But now I can see why. They're beautiful to watch."
"Are the Midguardian stars any different?"
"Absolutely! I should bring Jane here for her to see. These..." she breathed out in amazement, "they have so much detail."
"She should come."
Then, Kelsey got a glimpse of what looked like a shooting star flying across the sky. "That's so pretty, a shooting star." She closed her eyes tight and whispered.
Loki watched her, curious to know what she said. "What is that?"
Kelsey opened her eyes and smiled at Loki. "In Midgaurd, if we spot a shooting star, we can make a wish. Whether it'll come true or not."
Loki smiled. "What did you wish for?"
Kelsey laughed. "I can't tell you!"
Loki's face fell. "Why not?"
"Because it will never come true if I did."
"Will you tell me if it came true?"
Kelsey shrugged. "Maybe." She perked up. "Oh! I got a brilliant idea!"
"What?" he asked with a smile.
Kelsey pulled out the principle's cell phone from her pocket. "How about we take a picture?"
Loki let out a laugh, confused. "A what?"
Kelsey turned the phone on. "A picture." She waved him to come closer. "Come here."
Loki was confused by the Midguardian technology, but he obeyed anyway. "What exactly are you planning, Kelsey?"
"It's simple. We are going to take an image from this... happy occasion."
Loki raised a brow at her still confused. "How?"
"I'll show you," Kelsey set the camera phone ready. She lifted the phone at their level, and she began to smile big at the camera. "Just pose and smile, as you would do in portraits."
"Do I have to hold my pose for eight hours?"
Kelsey laughed, shaking her head, "No! Heck no! It'll be over in seconds."
Loki loved the sound of that. He placed his arm around her and leaned in close, facing the camera with a smile.
"Ready?" Kelsey asked.
"Yes," he muttered, keeping his smile on.
"One. Two... Three!" she clicked the button, and the phone flashed. They had no choice but to blink. Loki rubbed his eyes, seeing a white blob image in front of his eyes. It happened to Kelsey with her eyes as well.
She looked at the camera. The image was dark, but the flash gave some light to their faces. Her head was against Loki's; they both had a grin on their faces. Only one detail stood out.
"My eyes are closed!" Loki commented.
Kelsey laughed. "No, it's not. It looks good!" Kelsey knew what Loki's saying was accurate, but she liked the photo.
"Liar," Loki said.
"Okay, your eyes are closed, but your smile is pretty."
"We need a retake."
"No, we don't!" Kelsey instantly closed the phone and put it away. Loki's mouth became agape but laughed, Kelsey joined in until everything became silent for a moment.
A minute later, they saw another shooting star, but it came flying towards them. Kelsey jumped back, only to see that it wasn't a star. It looked like a firefly or a...
"Fairy?" she questioned, watching the fairy fly around her hair.
Loki laughed. "No, dear one. That's an elf."
Kelsey whirled to face Loki with furrowed brows. "What? That looks way too small to be an elf."
"They don't always look like a pixie," Loki raised his finger for the small pixie to rest on it. "They can grow to our size."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Instead of touching his finger, the pixie flew around his head and began playing with his short, raven locks.
Kelsey smiled as she stared at the interaction between the pixie elf and Loki. "I think she likes you."
"That's her nature," he explained casually. "The elves are naturally pleasant. They are the friendliest creatures in the nine realms... other than the fact that they are nosy and thieves."
The pixie was making a chattering noise as if it was speaking, and the questionable thing about this was that Loki seemed to understand what she's saying.
"Oh... You thought we were done?" Loki chuckled. "Well, you should have asked first, then take the basket away... Yes... Thank you. I am happy that you and your friends enjoyed the bread." He peered behind the pixie to see Kelsey casting him a suspicious look.
"What?" he asked.
"Are you talking to the fairy?"
"First of all, Kelsey, it's an elf, not a fairy. And secondly, yes."
"How can you understand her?"
"Thor and I required to study the Alfheim elf's native tongue. They are easier to understand than the dark elves in Svartalfheim."
"Sartaheim?"
The pixie chattered again. Loki nodded. "Very well... Yes, I'll warn her."
Kelsey furrowed her brows. "Warn me about what?"
Loki sighed. "It's pronounced Svartalfheim. It's the land of the Dark Elves, a complete opposite of the light elves. The lovely elf, here, wanted me to tell you to steer clear from the realm for your own human safety."
"Oh..." she offered the pixie a smile. "Thank you."
The pixie chattered again, probably completing the gratitude. Loki confirmed it. "She says you are quite welcome, and she also wants me to tell you that you look quite lovely."
She grinned. "Thank you."
The pixie chattered louder than usual, causing Kelsey to have a slight headache.
"What's that?" he asked. "...You want us to come along?"
"Come along to where?"
Loki stood up, offering his hand to Kelsey's. "She wants us to join their small gathering."
"Gathering?" she questioned, taking Loki's hand. He pulled her up and led her through the woods.
Kelsey felt her heart leap out of her chest once they made it to their destination. They spotted a tree filled with pixies flying around it. The tree was big, close to the Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom park of Disney World. It almost resembled to be like the Pixie Hollow Tree and Peter Pan's hideout. With all the pixies flying around it, it made it even more lovely. There was faint pan pipe music with a hint of a harp in the background. It was more... Celtic.
The pixie that was their guide flew inside a big hole in the tree. Loki pulled Kelsey towards the tree to get a glimpse inside. Loki released her hand, letting Kelsey look inside the open space of the tree, while Loki checked through the smaller one. They both spotted beauty inside.
The Pixies were chattering in flying around. Kelsey got a chance to see what the light elves were like human-size. They were tall and blonde like Barbie and Ken dolls. There were light and love in the tree. Some were eating food from the couple's picnic basket. Others were laughing, chatting, and slow dancing to the music they created for themselves.
Kelsey turned her head to see Loki have been staring not at the elves inside, but her. He offered her a loving smile. She smiled back.
"This is really pretty," she commented.
Loki scooted closer to her to get a better look inside the tree. He agreed that this sight was too beautiful to look away. They both can comfortably relax and sleep with the pan flute.
Kelsey perked up and jumped back as two fairies exited the tree, chattering something to them. Kelsey furrowed her brows, turning to Loki for translation.
"What did they say?" she wondered.
Loki laughed, "They've invited us to join the festival and dance."
Kelsey raised her brows at him. "Dance?" She can do a lot of things, but dancing wasn't one of them. She shook her head, "Could you tell them that I don't want to dance."
The pixies chattered once more. Kelsey assumed that they're trying to convince her to come.
"They insisted it shall be fun." Loki looked at Kelsey's face, seeing that she was sure that she didn't want to dance. He politely declined to the pixie's offer. The pixies told them that if they changed their mind, holler. They flew back inside the tree, returning to the party.
Kelsey and Loki continued to watch the elves have the time of their lives until Kelsey heard Loki ask.
"You never tried dancing before?"
Kelsey paused before she hesitantly said. "Well... I danced with my father years ago. He always pretended to be the king, and I would be his princess... but that was years ago, and I haven't danced with anyone else after that. I have forgotten how... I don't want to embarrass myself, so I didn't go to my school dances, and I'm planning not to go to prom in a few months.
Loki took in Kelsey's explanation. He slowly stood up on his feet, walking behind Kelsey.
"I think it's best if my dad was my only dance partner, I mean I..." she trailed off to see that Loki wasn't right next to her.
"Kelsey."
She whirled around to see Loki behind her, offering his hand. She gave him a questioning brow.
"Kelsey Roberts, may I have this dance?"
Kelsey's mouth became agape, "W-What?"
"Kelsey, I wish to teach you and show you what you are missing. Please, would you do me the honor of being my partner for tonight?"
"Oh! I-I told you, I don't dance!"
"I'll teach you," Loki insisted.
"Really, Loki, I don't-"
"Kelsey," Loki began to speak in a firm tone, the kind that a king would use. "I am your king... for now, and I command that you take my hand and dance with me."
Kelsey gave him a questionable brow. Was he really forcing her to dance?
"Why me?" she questioned. "There are hundreds of elves in there that would kill to dance with you."
"Yes, but they are not like you." He leaned forward as he said. "Unlike you, they can dance."
Kelsey scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Kelsey, it's high time you learn, that life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain."
Kelsey didn't know why, but that comment really hit her like a wave knocking down sandcastles. It made Kelsey see things a bit differently.
"Kelsey, could you please be my partner, tonight?" he rolled his hand out, offering it to her, again.
She stared at his hand for a full minute, before she reluctantly placed her hand in his.
"I can't say no to a king."
He smiled with satisfaction, pulling her up on her feet. He released her hand and stepped back two spaces, only to bow like a gentleman. She thinly smiled back, grasping her pant legs as if it were a dress and curtsied like a lady.
Loki grasped her hand, and pulled her against his chest, caught her off guard.
"Don't blame me when I step on your foot," Kelsey retorted.
He ignored her comment, and instructed her to place one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, while he used his free hand to wrap it around her torso. She inhaled sharply at contact. As they began to sway, Kelsey looked down at their feet, hoping that she wouldn't step on his toe or vice-versa. She's currently barefoot; therefore, she couldn't cause much damage.
She felt him release his grip around her waist to lift her chin to meet his gaze. She exhaled as she met his milky red eyes.
"Relax, Kelsey. Look at me and follow my lead," he commanded in a whisper.
She didn't reply, only stared into his beautiful red eyes. He returned his hold around her waist and began to move his feet. Kelsey followed him, fighting the urge to look down.
'Just trust him, Kelsey. Try not to step on his foot. Try not to step on his foot.'
As a little girl, she was allowed to dance on her father's feet, well stand on them to be specific. Dad would generally do most of the dancing while holding his little girl. He would say that 'you are a lovely dancer, Kelsey,' or 'you look beautiful in your Belle attire.'
Tonight, she didn't have the privilege to ride on someone's shoes. She must dance with a man who wasn't her father. Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach at that thought.
Loki still sensed tension and stiffness from Kelsey. He could tell that she had never danced before, even when she was dancing with her father. He released his hold around her waist again, expanding their stance, then spun her around and dip. Kelsey gasped at the sudden move. He pulled her back, returning to their position.
Kelsey looked up and noticed the fairies floating around them. The music grew louder; the couple followed the music. Kelsey finally found the urge to ease her stiffness and dance, not caring if she stepped on his foot. If this was going to be their last night together like this, she wanted to enjoy it any way she can. She loosened her hold and rested her head on the crook of his neck.
After two stomps on Loki's boots and two apologies, the couple found their rhythm with the pan flutes and harps. They swayed, they spun around, dipped. Kelsey and Loki laughed and smiled at each other's company.
When they were currently in a swaying position, Kelsey felt Loki release his grasp around her waist, running his hand through her blonde waves.
He pulled back to look at her, studying her. She furrowed her brows at him, questioning his stare. Was there something on her face? Was it her breath? Kelsey was terrified at that thought. Garrett pointed out that her breath smelled like roadkill... three times. Her solution was to chew gum, drink something to cover the stench and hope for the best.
"What's wrong?" she asked nervously.
"You know... You look so much better as a brunette."
Kelsey narrowed her eyes at him, still confused, "What?"
Loki took a strand of her hair and placed it in front of her face. She gasped in disbelief. Her hair wasn't ashy blonde... It was brown - dark brown, the color she used to have as a kid.
She pulled from his hold to inspect the rest of her head.
"Don't worry, it's only an illusion," Loki assured her.
She met his gaze with a conflicted look in her eyes. She honestly didn't know what to think, except for one question in her mind.
"Do I look okay?"
Loki gave her a playful smirk. His person slowly shimmered green into a more human, shorter, and girly. He transformed into Kelsey. Her jaw dropped at Loki's trick. Looking at Loki was like looking at a mirror.
As Kelsey, he smirked and suggested, using her voice. "Why don't you see for yourself?"
She stepped forward and circled him, inspecting every detail of her wavy hair, until she came face to face with him.
"Well?" he questioned.
After a full minute of silence, she replied quietly.
"They were right."
He furrowed his brows at her, leaning slightly forward to hear her better, "Beg your pardon?"
"They were right..." She spoke louder. "Aunt Jane and Granny were right... I do look like my mom." Her eyes began to swell up in tears again. Loki transformed back into his Asgardian form.
"If you want me to change it back-"
"Don't you dare!" she snapped. "I'm leaving my hair like this."
He chuckled, "As you wish, love."
They continued to dance with the Pixies, in the pouring down rain. Neither frost giant of Asgard or Midguardian minded, except the fairies.
Loki rested his forehead against hers; both were smiling.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked in a whisper.
She told him. "I am."
For the first time in forever, Kelsey was honestly happy - delighted. She dreamed of having her first dance but was too nervous about how it'll turn out. When Kelsey got nervous, she stepped on his foot - twice. But when she relaxed and enjoyed herself, it was a thriller. She didn't want their moment to end. Tonight was perfect - absolutely perfect.
~000~000~000~
Loki carried Kelsey back to the boat, with her body wrapped around the golden blanket. During the dance, Kelsey was about to doze off. She was tired and soaked. It was past one, everyone in Asgard must be worried by now about their whereabouts. It's time to return home. The elves in their human-sized forms were right behind them, waving their leaf umbrellas goodbye, wishing them to return.
Kelsey was cuddling inside the blanket like a caterpillar in its cocoon. It didn't take long for them to return. Loki carried her sleeping form back inside Thor's - her room.
He placed her back on the red-sheeted bed. He summoned Nanna the maid to dress Kelsey for bed.
She bowed and whispered, "Yes, your majesty." Nanna left the room to find a nightgown, giving Loki time to wish his good friend goodnight.
He ran his thumb across her forehead; he pulled back as she stirred slightly in her sleep. She turned onto her stomach, reaching her arm over a pillow beside her and slept. He held back his laugh as she began snoring. He could tell that she was really asleep.
He debated whether to do it or not, but he did. He leaned forward to place a soft kiss on Kelsey's now-brunette head. He nuzzled his nose against the base in his ear, softly whispered.
"I found you... You found me... We found each other... My one true friend."
He pulled back, heading to the door to the connected bathroom. He turned to give her a final glance, having seconds to watch her sleep before the maid returned with a folded silk nightgown.
After Kelsey told him about the shooting stars, he secretly made one himself. He silently wished for Kelsey to stay in Asgard to be her friend, partner, anything that he wanted her to be. She was a little young to be his queen, but she would make a lovely Asgardian princess. All dressed in royal green robes, her dark hair pinned up with a crown on her head, standing by his side, ruling Asgard together. She would be a sight — a lovely one at that.
However, Kelsey also said that wishes sometimes don't come true. He can't get his hopes up. After all, she had a life back in Midguard.
~000~000~000~
What everyone didn't know that Loki visited the Midguard family, tonight.
He looked through the pictures of the family on the walls; saw Darcy and AJ in their beds, asleep with the TV left on. He walked past the room where Doctor Selvig was sleeping.
He made it to a blue painted room fit for a teenage girl. It was a lot smaller than the halls of Asgard. The closet provided clothes that crammed tightly against each other, wrinkling in process. The bed was nothing like his own; it's not firm or soft, but springy. How could this girl live in these arrangements? No princess should ever sleep in a room this small.
He looked over at her nightstand to see a picture frame. It held a photo of Kelsey's family. Her parents were relined on the chairs, smiling hand-on-hand at the camera. Their children were making sandcastles, not having a clue that the parents were taking a photo of their time at the beach. The girl digging the sand with the plastic shovel - he had to assume that was Kelsey. Dark hair, skin, and eyes. An image he witnessed tonight.
Once he was done snooping the girl's room, he came across one place that wasn't thoroughly searched - the living room. He knew Thor was in the room, because of his loud snoring. He snuggled with a woman on the couch - not just any woman - Kelsey's aunt and Thor's new fancy. Both were sleeping — photobooks scattered on the floor. A laptop, connected to the TV, was left on, burning hot on the coffee table.
Curiosity got the better of him. He ran his finger across the pad to see the laptop screen lit up brightly. It revealed videos - home videos from the past. He suspected Jane showing Thor her life and family on the big screen. He pressed the remote spacebar key, playing a video.
This took place in a living room but in a different house. A young, pregnant woman was playing the piano with her little girl.
"All right, ladies, let's hear it," a male voice said the background, he must be the one holding the camera.
The woman looked down at Kelsey with a grin, "You ready, Kelsey?"
The nine-year-old smiled, showing off her top missing incisors, hopping up and down her seat excitedly, "Yeah!"
"Okay! Let's go!" The woman - Loki assumed she was Kelsey's mother - played a song, urging Kelsey to start singing.
"I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately..." Kelsey sang sweetly but shyly. "All I have to do is think of me, and I have peace of mind..."
Her mother played a couple of notes and sung the complete opposite of Kelsey. "I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wondering what I've got to do..." Her voice was loud and a bit off-pitch. She needed some singing lessons. Loki wondered what Kelsey's singing was like today. "...or whom I'm supposed to be! I don't want to be anything other than..."
"Me..." Kelsey finished. She and her mother gave each other a butterfly kiss while smiling happily.
The father cheered, clapping in the background, "Very good! That was awesome!"
"Thank you, Daddy!" Kelsey said sweetly.
"Hey, Kelsey!" The daughter tilted her head up, turning her attention to her ecstatic mother. "How about we play another verse? Would you like that?!"
Kelsey raised her arms, grinning widely, "Yeah!"
"Yeah? Yeah!" The pregnant mother laughed, placing a kiss on her daughter's head, before playing a different. "This one is called... You'll Be in My Heart-"
"Tarzan!" Kelsey cried.
Loki chuckled at Kelsey's eagerness. He never thought she would be like that as a child. She was a little shy but eager to sing with her mother.
Loki covered his mouth instantly when he heard Jane moan and shift on her stomach. Loki took a few steps back into the shadows and stared at the sleeping woman, intently. He recalled hearing a whisper from the woman, only one word — one name.
"Kelsey... Kelsey... Kelsey..."
Loki felt sad for her. She really missed her niece. She wanted her to come home, but a selfish part of him wouldn't allow that.
"We can't both have her, love," he whispered back before he departed the house without detection.
~000~000~000~
At three in the morning, he paid somebody another visit - his biological father, Laufey. Loki walked down the hill through the icy snow until he approached the kingdom. He wasn't surprised to see the Frost Giants wide awake, including Laufey. They were known to be nocturnal.
"Kill him," his father commanded.
Loki blinked in disbelief and mock hurt, "Kill me? After all, I have done for you?"
Laufey took a minute to realize what he meant, "So you are the one who showed us the way into Asgard."
Loki shrugged, showing off a wicked smirk, "It was just a bit of fun, really... to ruin my brother's big day... and to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer."
"I will hear you," Laufey declared, still keeping his suspicious gaze on the son he never knew or cared for.
Loki paced a few steps around the throne room before beginning his proposition, "I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you inside Odin's chamber, and you can slay him where he lies."
Laufey narrowed his eyes at his son in suspicion, "Why not kill him yourself?"
Loki snorted in laughter, "I suspect the Asgardians will not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor." He continued explaining his plan, "Once Odin is dead, I will return the casket to you."
Laufey stood upright from his throne, now intrigued.
"And you can return to Jotunheim to its... glory," Loki finished with a smile.
Laufey's cold lips twitched upwards, "I... accept."
Loki chuckled, "Excellent..."
'Poor, Laufey. Poor father. If he only knew my real plans for him. He must pay to what he has done... to her.'