Chapter 2: Challenge Accepted

Thor went into the courtyard to see as to what results his announcement for a body guard brought. Loki walked out next to Thor eyeing his brother with reluctance. The leader of the guards presented several possible recruits lined up in a single line all of them loaded with weaponry all except one. A female dressed completely in black held no weapons in hand her face covered with a mask and her dark brown hair tied up high out of her face. Her clothes were simple black cotton a black tunic covered her body up to her hips while pants covered her legs. Loki spotted the woman. He didn't particularly care about her gender but rather her lack of weaponry compared to the others. He walked over to her.

"Where are your weapons?"

Maria looked to the tall man his black locks were cut short as she stared into his eyes that met her own green ones as she tilted her head sideways under her mask and smirked a bit amused

"If I told you that there is no surprise attack for an opponent is there?" she replied as a dagger appeared made of ice silently pointed at his gut the shadows of the day making it almost invisible. "I make my weapons"

Loki looked down noticing Maria's dagger. "You should be careful who you choose to play with." He threatened slightly. "You do have a nice technique though."He walked back to his spot next to Thor.

As the man leaves so does Maria's dagger she smirked under her mask as the whisper went through the crowd one person next to her poked her.

"Are you crazy or just trying to get yourself killed?" the stranger looked at the girl who seemed so calm it scared him.

Maria shrugged "I do not see reason to fear, he asked where my weapon was and I showed it." Honestly Asgardians were peculiar fighters.

"You must not be from around here if you don't know him" the stranger nods towards Loki. "That is Loki, Thor's brother. Rumor has it he is as cold as his brother is kind as well as a trickster"

Again Maria shrugs "I do not go on information based off of rumors sir rather on personality" she said facing forwards as a challenge was announced by the main leader.

"You are all here today in order to be chosen as a possible candidate for the prince's guard." the leader announced to the group. "The test will be based upon what the prince decides."

Maria smirked under her mask excited and relaxed while others stood stiffly and anxious for the next direction.

"I will test each of you one on one to prove your fighting skills and I will not go easy on you." Loki spoke calmly though his mind was at work on all the ways he could embarrass the candidates.

Later Maria watched calmly as one by one the candidates thinned. Loki from what she observed was indeed a trickster her goal was to best him in a fight for a specific amount of time. However the difficulty she noted as the contestants thinned from the mere ten individuals to five was that he used his appearance, mind, not to mention skill with weaponry to overthrow his opponents. Eventually the number dropped to just her and the stranger she did not know. Although the person was able to fight back eventually he to fell. As she cracked her neck to relieve the tension in the muscles she walked up to where Loki was she stood there casually again no weapon in hand. "No point in revealing all of my surprises to him" she mentally thought.

Loki used his telepathy to his advantage so that he could discover his previous opponent's strategies. All he had known for now thus far was to expect the unexpected. Since the female in front of him had, had the luxury of seeing him fight the others he thought it wise to switch weapons. Up to now he had used his daggers, which he was most skilled with, but now he switched to a Bo staff. He knew his fighting style would be different enough that he should be unpredictable but he was less experienced with his Bo staff. "You may have the first move." He motioned for the female to begin.

Maria eyed him curiously but kept her mind clear of thoughts aside from her strategy of habit be unpredictable, be relaxed, and be calm. Without thinking Maria disappeared and reappeared behind Loki traveling through the shadow plane as she swung her Bo staff down towards his shoulder.

Loki sidestepped and dodged her attack. He then swung his Bo staff towards her stomach hoping to knock the wind out of her.

Maria landed on her feet and ducked under the attack that Loki had done as he dodged her own Bo staff before using her own weapon to block the attack to her stomach only guessing thus far as to what the tricksters aim had been had it contacted her form.

Loki appeared behind her, this time aiming for her feet. If he could trip her then the fight would be ended and he could finally return to the safety of his books and his room.

Maria did indeed trip but as she fell she used her momentum from falling to flip herself backwards sending an array of frost upon the floor as her hand touched the ground. As she landed, a bit further away from the trickster, she kept her mind clear of thoughts observing him from afar taking note of a slight smirk appear on his face. Her response to his smirk was an arched eyebrow as her mask hid a similar smirk on her lips.

Loki smirked at the mysterious female's quick movement. She clearly was not as idiotic or unskilled as he had thought her out to be. Perhaps she was worthy of guarding him after all. He created two other hologram duplicates of himself. The three versions of him attacked her all at once knowing full well that she only had enough time to determine as to which version of him was real and which two were the illusions.

Maria watched when observing the duplicates from the real being now attack her. Again she thought nothing as she created a wide range attack of frost with the intent to freeze all of her opponent's legs. Taking note of the gasps from the crowd that had gathered she tuned them out as she watched all three Loki's their feet becoming frozen the fakes phased through the attack. However the real god's feet froze right to the spot he had been standing in. She looked at the trickster as she kept her own guard up waiting silently for another attack of some sort.

Loki melted the ice from around his feet by having a ball of fire go around him and then dissipate. Was she a Jotun? This certainly was an interesting development. He put it at the back of his mind and turned invisible; his steps were barely able to be heard if they were heard at all. He made his way behind her and held her arm halfway up her back. Then he placed his dagger at her throat, uncloaking himself. "How do you plan to get out of this?" Loki smirked triumphantly.

Maria smirked under her mask as she eyed the weapon before replying calmly hiding a bit of humor in her voice "Like this." Ducking under the weapon of the dagger to her throat her arm still grasped onto Loki's as she turned around facing him. By using her momentum to appear behind him his own arm pinned behind his back with his own dagger to his throat. "Touché" she replied as she kept her guard up she eyed the trickster god a bit amused as she felt the splintered bones in her arm swiftly heal as if nothing had occurred.

Loki chuckled, legitimately impressed that she had managed to not only get out the hold he had her in but also managed to move his own dagger to his throat. He disappeared in a vapor of emerald mist. A black boa constrictor appeared around Maria and began squeezing. Loki appeared in front of her. "Will you surrender?"

Maria's mask falls off her face to reveal her small smirk as she is constricted in the snake but still remains calm obviously unafraid of the serpent. "And why should I surrender?" She replied looking Loki straight in the eyes her own bright green irises meeting his own blue ones. Eyeing the god with a slight spark of mischief but also intelligence. "Also Loki I'd stand back if you don't want to get burned right now" Maria said as blue flames suddenly surround her and the snake causing the serpent to dissipate.

Loki stalked around the young woman. "You are quite intelligent. Exactly what I'm looking for in a guard. Do you feel capable of guarding me?"

Maria arched an eyebrow at the god of mischief "I would not have applied for the position if I did not feel capable for the task" she replied. "So yes I do feel capable"

"You make a good point but others are not worried about the job, being guarding, but being in my presence. You do not fear me do you?" Loki stood in front of Maria a bit intrigued at the being that stood before him.

"What is there to fear?" Maria said looking up at Loki her head tilted to the side in curiosity. "All that you have demonstrated to me is that you fight well, are intelligent and use illusions to misguide your opponents. Aside from those factors I do not see what there is to fear?" In her mind all she saw was an opportunity one that she took willingly. This was how she saw life everyday a new challenge one that she welcomed freely.

"I like your point of view but you are too optimistic." It was odd for Loki to see someone who didn't fear him. Why wasn't she afraid of him? It didn't matter he would find out soon enough. "Come with me. I will show you to your room." Thor smiled to Loki as he left the arena.

Maria put her mask into her pocket as she followed Loki only to pause for a moment to notice that a murmur had went through the crowd as she followed the god of mischief out of the arena.