51

True Love's Kiss

Love is the most powerful magic, and it shall break any spell. ~Loki

The Bifrost danced about them in a brilliant swath of rainbowed light. When it faded, they saw Frigga and the rest of the Laufeysons waiting to greet them on the palace steps.

"Loki!" Frigga cried, and then swept Odin, Loki, and Malek into her embrace, crying joyfully.

Loki hugged her back, trying to not to be crushed against Odin. "Mother!" he gasped.

Poor Malek was not so lucky. "I-Is this n-normal?" he asked, finding his face half crushed against Frigga's stomach.

"Only after you've been kidnapped." Loki managed to say with a lopsided smile.

Thor went and picked up Rhiannon, hugging her, and Balder did the same with Abby, while the other children swarmed about them, waiting for their turn, everyone smiling and laughing.

"Dear, I think you are crushing Loki," Odin managed to say. "And this little fellow Malek too."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear," Frigga said, then reluctantly let them go and went to hug Rhiannon.

Loki found himself being hugged by all of his children, it was like being in the middle of a benevolent whirlwind.

Malek watched all the hugging and just stared, he had never seen anything like this before, since after his mother had died, no one dared to hug him. Overwhelmed, he hid behind Odin.

"You don't have to be afraid." Odin said and laughed.

"I'm hungry." Rhiannon said and Frigga smiled.

"Me too!" Loki added. He looked around for Malek and Abby.

Malek peeked out from behind Odin. "So am I."

"Who's this?" Hunter asked curiously.

"That's Malek, my new friend," Loki told him. "He's an orphan."

The Laufeysons exchanged glances, all of them wondering if this boy would soon be added to their family. Once Loki was grown, that is.

The children introduced themselves and Malek smiled shyly, afraid to talk too much in case they laughed at him.

Serena smiled welcomingly at him. "It's okay. We're loud and there are a lot of us, but we're harmless."

Malek nodded. "Are you all r-related to P-prince Loki?"

"Yes. We're all family," she replied.

"Let us get you children something to eat." Frigga said. Her grin was wide and joyful.

"Come on, Loki." Rhiannon said, grabbing his hand.

Loki followed her happily.

"I hope there is ice cream." She giggled.

"There should be. We always have ice cream during the summer."

"I can't wait!" She said, running ahead of them.

Vince ran up by Loki. "So what happened? Did you get locked in a dungeon with rats and spiders?"

"I'll tell you," Loki laughed.

"I a-am h-hungry." Malek said, following his new friends.

They all sat together at the long table. A bouncy blonde with her hair in two braids ran over to them. She was the same age as Rhiannon, and was Volstagg's youngest child. "You're back, Loki and Abby and Rhee! I'm really glad the Dark Elves didn't hurt you."

"Hello, Gudrun," Loki said to her. "It is good to be home again."

Gudrun noticed Malek sitting beside Loki. Her eyes widened. "You're a Dark Elf! What's your name?"

"M-Malek." He stuttered. "Y-you are p-p-pretty."

Gudrun giggled. "How sweet! I'm Gudrun Volstaggsdottir. My daddy is that big warrior over there next to Hogun." She pointed. "Did you come here to visit?"

"I a-am o-orphaned. I w-was t-told I c-could s-s-stay here." Malek said, trying to be polite.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Maybe someone here will want to adopt you." She looked over at Fandral, Hogun, and Sif pointedly.

"I h-hope s-so." He said and smiled. "D-do y-you have a l-large f-f-family?"

Gudrun nodded. "Yes. I am the youngest of six, and my mama is expecting again. I have an older sister and four older brothers."

Malek looked startled. "That's a lot!"

Then she added, "But not quite as big as Abby's family. She has twelve brothers and sisters!"

"T-t-that is s-so many." He said, his mouth falling open.

"Nine of us are adopted," Hunter put in. "And there are four from Dad's first marriage."

"Oh. W-where is your f-father?"

Right next to you, Hunter thought. "Uh, he's off courting our new mother," he answered glibly. "They just got betrothed."

"I h-hope t-they are m-married a long t-time."

"Me too," Hunter said. "Do you have magic too? Like some of my sisters and brothers?"

"S-some. Y-yes." He replied, eating some fruit.

Hunter nodded. "You know Abby can heal, and she can shift too. My three older brothers have shifter magic. My sister Aleta is a Seer and my brother Vince is a Ghost Speaker. My little brother Max has magic too-a lot of it but we're not sure what all he can do with it yet."

"Y-you will f-find it out s-soon." Malek said and nodded.

"My dad will be able to figure it out. He's a really powerful mage." Hunter said.

"G-good. A p-person with u-uncontroled m-magic is d-dangerous."

"Dad says that all the time," Belle said. "I'm Belle. I'm Asgard's Lorekeeper."

"H-hello. I am M-Malek." He said, in awe of her title.

Belle smiled at him. "Pleased to meet you. If you don't have a magic tutor, you could ask Mr. Gold. He's a really good tutor. He taught my dad and grandmother and lots of other mages."

"I-i-i w-w-would like that."

"I could ask him," Belle offered.

"T-thank you." He said and looked at Gudrun next to him. "W-would you like my a-apple?"

"Uh, sure. We can share it." She picked up a little fruit knife and cut it in half.

"T-thank y-you." He said, sighing as he gazed at her.

"Do you like to play hide-and seek? Or Mother May I?" Gudrun asked.

"I h-have never p-played those."

"I can show you!" Gudrun said excitedly. "Lucy, Max, Aleta, do you wanna play?"

The other three said yes, and it was decided they would play in the Queen's Garden after they had finished eating.

"Let's play with the kittens after we eat," Loki suggested to Rhiannon. "They are probably lonely."

"I missed Jewel so much! And Trickster too." Rhiannon replied, smiling.

"We could go and see the little foal too. Balder says there is a newborn one in the stables, a white filly named Snowdrop."

"I so want to see her. We could take the kittens."

"The kittens could play in the straw. We could too. There is a big straw stack and the loft is above it." Loki told her.

"We can jump from the loft into the straw." She said, growing excited.

"That will be fun!" Loki agreed. "And there is a swing too. "

"There is?" She said. "There is one on the farm I used to live on. It was fun to play there."

"Yes, it is in the maple by the barn." Loki told her.

"You can go first." She said and smiled.

"No, you. We can take turns."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes." He finished his plate of food.

"If it pleases you." She said and finished eating.

"Shall we go?"

She took his hand and they ran from the hall,calling the kittens.

"Jewel!" She called out and they came trotting down the hall, their tails in the air, and their ears perked.

"Trickster!" Loki grinned.

"They are happy to see us." Rhiannon said.

The kittens jumped into their arms, purring and rubbing their heads into their necks.

"They missed us!" Loki giggled.

They carried the kittens down to the stables, letting them play in the straw while Loki and Rhee went to pet Snowdrop.

"She is so pretty." Rhiannon said, holding the bottle to feed the filly.

"Look, she has blue eyes like you!" Loki pointed out. He stroked the fuzzy coat.

"She does. I wonder if they will stay that way."

"They could." Loki mused.

"Queen Frigga is going to have the most beautiful horse." She said and petted the filly's nose.

"She will have a horse as beautiful as she is," Loki said, laughing when Snowdrop nibbled his hair.

"She is trying to eat you." Rhiannon giggled, hugging the horse.

"Silly filly! Do I taste good?" He rubbed the foal's nose, and grinned. "Her whiskers tickle!"

"They do? Does she run yet?" She asked, smiling.

"Yes. Most foals can run right when they are born." Loki said. "Maybe Sleph will let us watch her run later."

The foal yawned, tired after being fed, and lay down and went to sleep.

"I hope so. She needs to be out and free " Rhiannon giggled, petting the sleeping foal.

"Now let's jump in the straw," Loki whispered.

"All right." She said and followed him.

They closed the stall door behind them and wiped their hands on a rag outside it. There was a ladder going up to the loft and they climbed it.

The straw stack was thick and about ten feet high. It glistened like spun gold in the sunshine.

"Don't look up my skirt." Rhiannon warned as they waited to jump.

"I won't," Loki said. They reached the edge of the loft.

"Do you want to go first?" She asked.

"All right." He jumped off, laughing, and landed in the thick sweet-smelling straw.

"Look out!" Rhiannon called, jumping and landing next to him. She giggled as she lay in the straw and looked at Loki.

"Let's do it again!" He said and they scrambled down and raced up the ladder again. They jumped into the straw over and over, until they were tired and just lay on the hay.

"Where do I sleep tonight?" Rhiannon asked, panting.

"You can sleep in my bed again. " Loki offered.

"Will we get in trouble?" She asked, looking shy.

"No, why? This time no one will slime us."

"Good." She said and smiled.

He yawned. "Should we go play on the swing? I'm kind of sleepy."

"We don't have to. We can nap here."

He nodded, his eyes closing. They dozed in the warm straw, their small hands clasped in sleep. The kittens climbed up the stack and curled up beside them.

Sleph walked through the barn, finding the two and smiling as he walked on.

Loki woke in a dream, Rhiannon running through a field from him again. He chased after her, her body growing and her hair turning from bouncing curls to long golden waves. He called her name, but she did not look back.

She ran toward the woods, disappearing into the trees and he fell to his knees. He looked at the spot she vanished, seeing nothing but a dark hole between the brush.

"Loki," a female voice called as he stood and headed for the dark hole. He entered the darkness then he felt like he was getting taller and his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He kept walking when he came to a large glade surrounded by the trees and a tall woman stood at the center of the glade.

"Hello," he said and noticed his voice was deeper.

"Hello," the tall woman said then turned to face him.

"Rhiannon?" he asked, recognizing her face and she smiled.

"Yes," she said. She took his hands as he looked deeply into her eyes and smiled.

"Wait!" a male's voice said and they looked into the trees. A figure stood in the shadows. Loki placed her behind him protectively. "You can't have her! She is nothing more than a whore and a monster!"

"No, she's not!" Loki refuted.

"And he is nothing more than a monster and a killer!" a female voice said and they saw the shadow near the bushes.

"Leave us alone!" Rhiannon shouted.

"Both of you should be destroyed!" another male voice said as they saw another shadow figure and Loki's eyes turned red.

"She said leave us!" Loki shouted as ice spread out around them and froze the forest and the shadows. Rhiannon smiled at him as Loki approached and she stroked his cheek with her hand. His skin was blue with a soft silver shimmer and he had ridges on his face. He watched her change into her Jotun form when he moved closer and she gave him a shy look. He bent to kiss her when he felt someone shaking him and everything went dark.

"Loki. Wake up, it is supper time." Sleph said and laughed.

Loki sat up, blinking. "It is?"

"Yes. Your friend is collecting the kittens." Sleph laughed again, helping him stand up.

"I had a strange dream," he told his son. "Rhiannon was in my dream and she was running and I was chasing her and then we turned into grown ups. . ." He told Sleph the dream.

"I think it means you will always be together," Sleph said. "Because you are meant to. And you know you're not a monster, right? You are as the Norns made you, your own unique wonderful person, because they love infinite variety and if we were all the same it would be boring." He repeated what Loki had said to him one day after his father had found him crying because Boda and some mean boys had teased him. "And we love you just the way you are."

"Yes. I know that." Loki said, rubbing the back of his neck and Sleph nodded. Rhiannon walked back with the kittens, both of them following her and meowing at her feet.

"Are you coming, Loki?" She asked and petted a kitten.

"Uh huh." He knelt and picked up Trickster. "They say they are hungry."

"We better feed them then." She said, petting Jewel.

"Let's all eat. I'm hungry as a horse!" Sleph said and they all laughed.

"Will I have to leave the castle when I come of age?" Rhiannon asked.

"No. This is your home," Sleph said, and smiled at her.

"Oh." She said and frowned. "I just wanted. ... It is not important."

"You could leave to go to school," Loki put in. "Someday I am going to the Academy. So I can be a great sorcerer. What do you want to be?"

"A Healer." She said and smiled. "I want to be the best at my job."

"You will be," Sleph said. "You and Loki both."

"I am going to marry Loki when we grow up. But I don't want to kiss him."

Sleph laughed. "You say that now. But perhaps you will change your mind. Look at Lady Sif. For a long time she said no man will want to put his boots under a warrior woman's bed. And she would not marry again until a man did. But now she is in love with Prince Thor. Who likes her just the way she is."

"Prince Thor has a scratchy beard." She said and cringed.

Sleph burst out laughing. "Maybe he will shave! A man will do a lot for his lady when he is in love."

"Have you ever been in love?" Loki asked curiously.

"Not as of yet." Sleph replied.

"Kissing is strange." Rhiannon said.

Sleph laughed again. "Kissing is something you enjoy when you're older."

"How do you know?" Loki asked, wide eyed.

"Because I have kissed a girl once or twice," Sleph admitted.

"Was she nice?" Loki queried.

"Was she pretty?" Rhiannon asked.

"Yes and yes," Sleph admitted.

"What was her name?" his father asked.

"Eleanora, but she liked to be called Pearl," his son said.

"Why didn't you marry her? You could have ordered her to." Rhiannon asked.

Sleph shook his head. "That's not how you win a woman's heart. You ask and then you wait upon her pleasure. And you show her how much you love her and will treat her like a queen, even if she was not born to it. For all women are queens in their own way, every one."

"Who told you that?" Rhiannon questioned.

"My father," Sleph replied.

"One day I would like to meet him," Rhiannon said, walking into the hall. Sleph chuckled.

"Your father sounds very wise," Loki remarked as they followed her.

"He is. I hope someday I will be like him," Sleph said, his eyes twinkling.

"You can if you want to be." Loki said, sighing to himself. "I will marry out of duty." He said and rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps. But I think one day you will marry for love," Sleph said.

"I am a prince. I will eventually love who Mother and Father selects."

"I am a prince too. And my father told me, you love whom your heart selects, and that is how it should be. So listen to your heart. Now let's have supper. You have plenty of time to worry about marriage when you are grown. And things will work out in the end."

"Yes. I believe so." Loki said and took his seat.

Dinner was delicious, roasted chicken with gravy, broiled salmon in dill butter sauce, roasted vegetables and smashed potatoes with cheese and garlic.

The children ate everything on their plates, Frigga smiling nonstop at them. "I guess you were really hungry. Didn't they feed you over there?"

"They gave us food, but it didn't taste like this," Loki told her, stifling a yawn.

"You seem tired, Loki. Would you like to have dessert in your room?" suggested Frigga.

The boy nodded slowly. "All right, Mother. May Rhee keep me company?"

"Of course," the Queen laughed. "Go on. I will send Claire with a tray."

Loki and Rhiannon left the table, going to Loki's chambers.

"I feel kind of full and sleepy," the little girl admitted. "But I don't want to miss dessert."

"Neither do I."

They sat together at the table in the sitting room. Five minutes later there was a knock and then Claire entered with the tray of dessert. "Here you are, darlings!" she said, beaming at the two children.

She placed the dessert and cups of tea on the table, then curtsied and left them alone.

Rhiannon sniffed the air. "This cake smells divine!"

Loki stirred sugar and milk into his tea. He uncovered a dish of sticky toffee cake. "Mmm! This cake is great!"

"What kind of cake is that?"

"It's called a sticky toffee cake-because it has toffee and brown sugar sauce on it and it melts into the cake and makes it really moist and it's delicious!" Loki told her. "Here's a spoon. Try some!" he encouraged.

"Are you sure you don't want it all?" She asked, looking at the cake.

"I can share." He said generously.

"Thank you." She said and took a bite of it. She hummed in happiness, closing her eyes. "This is better than a kiss."

"I bet a kiss is nicer." Loki said and laughed.

"I have never really kissed a boy." Rhiannon said with a blush.

"I have never kissed a girl. Well, unless you count my mother."

"I don't know if that counts." She giggled, stealing another bite of the cake.

He took his own bite, savoring the delicious sweetness on his tongue. He sighed blissfully.

"I will have to kiss you alot if we marry." Rhiannon said and blushed deeper.

"Umm . . . yes . . ." he colored a pleasing peach.

"So we have to start kissing now?" She asked, her mouth open.

"If . . . if you want to."

"Do you want to? I don't know if it has to be done now." She said, turning shy.

She fidgeted with her hands, giggling.

"You want me to count to three?" he asked innocently.

She nodded.

"Ready? One . . .two . . . three!"

On three, they leaned towards each other and their mouths met. She tasted silky spice and toffee and cream, while he tasted the same with the addition of apples.

Without conscious thought, they deepened the kiss until something utterly amazing and magical happened.

The curse had been cast to keep two lovers apart, without memory of their former adult lives and the love they bore each other. But there was one thing Amora had never reckoned with-and that was the simple fact that true love did not cease because the lovers are under a spell. It lived , it breathed, and it waited deep inside them until this moment.

There was swirl of color and light and then the curse broke.

Rhiannon pulled back, blinking at herself and frowning. She noticed her engagement ring was no longer on her finger.

"What happened to my ring?" she asked, feeling as if she had awakened from a dream.

"And my clothes?" Loki stared down at himself. "This isn't the suit you made me."

"Where is my beautiful gown?" Rhiannon cried.

"Why are we in my room?" Loki asked, puzzled. He rubbed his eyes.

"Did we not go through with the ceremony?" She stammered.

"Yes. I remember us sealing the vows with a kiss and then we were eating dinner and we ate some pie and . . ." His jaw dropped as memories began to surface-memories of himself and Rhiannon as children. "By the Nine! We were cursed! To become children! Do you remember that?"

"Yes, I do remember most of it. We were taken by Adabiel and brought to his castle," Rhiannon said, shivering from the memories of their kidnapping.

"We drove him crazy," Loki said with a grin then remembered what happened to him. "He died."

"But you forgave him."

"Yes, and he seemed to have made peace with whatever reason he had for hating me."

"I think we need to go see Abby. She was quite...," Rhiannon said as someone knocked on the door and Abby walked in the room.

"Loki, are you awake?" Abby asked then gasped when she saw they were adults again.

"Surprise!" Loki teased and Rhiannon giggled.

"But...? But how?!"

"It was True Love's Kiss. It can break any spell or curse."

"We need to tell the others!" she said as she ran to her daddy and pulled on his hands.

"I think we need to change first," Loki said and waved his hands. Their clothing changed as he held his hand out and Rhiannon stood up. They were no longer tired as he smiled and they left the room.

Odin sipped on some wine when he saw Loki, Abby and Rhiannon enter the room and he nearly choked.

"Hello," Loki said. Everyone in the room said their hellos as he led Rhiannon to the throne and they made a bow and a curtsy. "Evening, Father."

"Good evening," Odin said, clearing his throat.

"Would you and Rhiannon like something to eat?" Frigga said with a smile.

"No, we have eaten," he said and she nodded.

Malek looked at them when he tapped Belle's shoulder and she looked at him.

"Who i-is that?" he asked.

"That's my father and his betrothed," Belle said and Loki and Rhiannon sat down next to her. Loki tried not to smile at Malek as he gave the boy a blank look and blinked. "Father, this is Malek. He is an orphan and has come to stay here."

"Hello, Malek," Loki said then turned to look at Rhiannon. She gave Malek a sweet smile and placed her hand on top of Loki's hand. "This is my betrothed, Rhiannon."

"Gr-greetings," Malek said.

"Greetings," Rhiannon said as he yawned and shook his head.

"I am s-sorry."

"No, that's fine," Loki said as Volstagg walked over and placed a hand on Malek''s shoulder.

"Ah, looks like someone is ready for bed," Volstagg said and Malek looked up at him. "The AllFather told me you shall be coming home with me and my family until we find you a proper home. Is that alright?"

"Yes, it's f-fine," Malek said and Volstagg scooped the boy up then walked off. After they were out of earshot, Loki noticed the look on his children and brother's faces and Thor folded his arms over his chest.

"To answer your unasked question, Amora's curse was broken with True Love's Kiss," Loki explained.

"It started out as just a first time kiss, but we sort of got carried away," Rhiannon said and a blush moved over her cheeks.

"Awwwwwww!" the girls said together and the boys rolled their eyes.

"Well, however it happened, I am glad to see you have grown up," Balder teased and Loki smirked.

"I don't think I have done that just yet," Loki said, wagging a finger at his oldest brother.

"Has there been any word of Amora or any sign of her?" Rhiannon asked, looking nervously around the room.

"No, not yet," Thor said with a shake of his head.

"Hel," Loki whispered then noticed Odin nodding his head toward him. "I'll be right back."

He walked over to Odin and placed his hands behind his back.

"You wish to speak with me, Father?"

"Yes. Would you mind explaining to your mother and I why you and Rhiannon are no longer children?" Odin asked. Loki explained as a grin spread over Odin's face and Frigga lightly laughed.

"I guess you'll need to give this back then," Frigga said as she handed Loki Rhiannon's ring and he nodded. Walking back to the table, Loki sat down, giving Rhiannon a pleased look. She wondered why but a moment later had her answer.

"I believe this is yours," Loki said as he took her hand and slid the ring back on her finger. She blushed when he lightly cupped her chin between his fingers and thumb and kissed her lips. They ignored the laughter and cheers when Loki moved back and placed his forehead against hers, making her smile.

A/N: And now that Loki and Rhee are back to being adults again . . . it's time for one of the big reveals of this story-what's the whole connection Loki and Max have?