Author's Note: A reminder...
"This is Japanese."
"This is Old Norse."

Chapter 45: Memories and the Fire Giant King

The pain was too much. With tears dripping down her checks Mayura managed only a final whisper, "Good bye Loki-anata..." before passing out—falling to her death within the ocean of magma.

Yamino rushed into his father's room after hearing Loki scream. "Loki-sama?! What's wrong? Loki-sama!"

Tears were streaming down Loki's face, contorted in pain. His body was on fire. Now that normally didn't cause Loki to blink an eyelash—even in his current condition Loki could walk through a mile long pit of red hot coals and not get singed—if he could walk the mile. He had only felt this pain once before. "Yamino-kun! It... it... it... burns!" he screamed searching in his distant memories for the word that was associated with this feeling.

"Burns?" asked Yamino blinking at his father in confusion.

Loki nodded his head as he gritted his teeth together in pain, his mind slipping back into the memories of the one other time he had felt this pain, thousands of years ago...

«

«

«

A pair of emerald green eyes stared at the central fire, reflecting its bright colors to anyone who looked within his eyes. Many called it spooky... red eyes superimposed upon green, and although all the young girls loved the way his hair sparkled in the light—especially that night since they had corned him into taking a bath—none of them looked into his eyes when he was absorbed in the fire. «I want to... I want to touch it...» Loki tentatively stretched out his arm to touch the dancing flickers of light. His hand passed through the flames without resistance. "Wow... it tickles," whispered Loki in awe, but the wonderment quickly turned into pain. He screamed.

"He's a strange one."

"A frost giant who loves fire..."

"...Like a moth..."

"Red upon green..."

"A freak of nature..."

"Perhaps the pot would have been..."

Loki heard all of this, but ignored it. There were only a few that seemed to accept him for... him, his foster-father, King Stevrion and perhaps some of the younger children who didn't really understand what there was to fear about him. Not to say he wasn't loved... that wasn't a problem, but it wasn't unconditional... he saw the hesitation within their eyes—he was different. And whenever he displayed that difference, gossip, fear, and hatred resurfaced.

"Loki-chan... why did you do that?" asked an elderly dark fairy, walking over to the solitary figure sitting in a dark corner all by himself still staring at the fire even from the distance he was at.

"Loki... chan?" marveled Loki tilting his head.

"It's cute; don't you think so Loki-chan?" she stated lifting her hand above his head the ruffle his hair. Loki pouted but didn't say anything. "Now, you didn't answer my question."

"I wanted to touch it," he replied truthfully.

"My, my, that's quite a nasty burn you got there Loki-chan. Let me take a look at it. Wouldn't want it to get infected now would we?" she stated coming closer to him.

"You're not afraid of me?" asked the young Loki in disbelief, and for the first time really looked at the person talking to him.

"No I'm not. Why should I be little one?" she questioned him as she administered to his hand.

"Because... because I'm a frost giant that's short and likes fire!"

"Yes, but that makes you... you," she stated, finally getting past the blackened skin to see the burn.

"But that's why I'm scary," he replied in a small voice.

Looking up straight into his eyes, the elderly fairy let go of his hand to touch his check. "All I see is a cute little boy who doesn't like to take a bath, and loves to get into mischief. Why should I be afraid of such a charming young man?"

"I'm... I'm not charming..." he stammered, desperately trying to break eye contact with the elderly grandmother.

"You're not? All the young girls seem to think differently," she replied once again tending his injured hand.

"They only like me because my hair is shiny..."

"…when you wash it."

"I guess..." Loki admitted reluctantly, lowering his gaze to the floor, "but that doesn't mean I'm charming now does it?" he finished looking at the elderly fairy with a look of mischief twinkling in his eyes.

"Ah... the wisdom of a child..." she spoke to herself. "Well I think you have a charming personality Loki-chan, you've certainly charmed this old fairy," she giggled almost girlishly. "You're going to make one special girl very happy."

Little Loki's face contorted. "A girl! Why would I want to make a girl happy? They're so annoying!"

The old fairy laughed. "Not now Loki-chan, not now. But someday, someday in the far future, there'll be a girl that will make you feel what you secretly desire Loki-chan. All you have to do is find her."

"How... how do you know? About what I, I secretly desire?" he asked curiously.

"You already told me."

Loki blinked. "I did?"

"Ummhmmm"

"Who is she?" he pressed on, ignoring the old woman's weird answer. He hadn't said anything of the sort, but he was really curious about this girl even though he thought all girls were things made by the gods to torture him with lots of water.

"That's a secret Loki-chan," she said mysteriously finishing the bandage around his hand. "But I'll give you a little clue. To find your butterfly, you need to find Good Cocoon. Now go back and play, it looks like they've already forgotten what happened."

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«I never saw her after that.» "To find your butterfly, you need to find Good Cocoon," he spoke aloud.

"Loki-sama?" blurted Yamino, startled by his father's voice, in Old Norse no less. His hands, dexterously cooling Loki's left foot with cold water slipped and pressed against the delicate flesh.

"Awwwwwwwwwww! Yamino-kun!" yelled Loki, cringing in pain. Opening his eyes a fraction, he was able to view the damage done to his left foot. It looked to be a second degree burn. He knew it wasn't a third degree because it hurt way too much for his pain receptors to have been damaged. "How bad is it?" he asked Yamino sucking air through his teeth.

"It's severe second-degree burn Loki-sama. I'm trying to cool it down. Hopefully you won't blister too badly," he replied not even looking up from his work on Loki's foot.

"Where's Fenrir?" Loki wondered, scanning the room for his puppy son.

"I made nii-san leave. Dog hair isn't good to get into fresh burns, it could cause infections. As soon as I bandage it up I'll let him in. He's really worried about you Loki-sama."

Loki nodded his head. «To find your butterfly, you need to find Good Cocoon... It doesn't make any sense! To find your butterfly, you need to find Good Cocoon... Mayura...» "Mayura!" Loki's eyes widen in revelation.

Pain throbbed all the way up to her left arm, and her foot felt as if it had been run over by a tractor trailer truck. She was lying on something soft and warm and it was moving. Groggily she opened her eyes; they seemed to the only part of her body not complaining of some kind of ailment besides her hair. Blinking them clear, Mayura stared at the nice view of Jymir's underside and an ocean of magma beyond.

Jymir felt his rider waking up. «It's about time.» he huffed. «If it wasn't for me she would have died. Foolish mortal. I have more fire resistance than she does, and she's trying to become a goddess of fire? Perhaps goddess of clumsiness or incompetence would be better for her... unique abilities.» Jymir lowered his ears in defense for the scream that he knew was to come.

"Ahhhhh! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead!" she screamed flailing her arms and legs about—even her left side. Jymir snorted. "Jymir? You're dead too?" she wailed, "Oh I'm so sorry!" Jymir snorted again, and Mayura finally lifted her head up to look around her.

It was still within the Caves of Fire, and she guessed it to be the Cave of Magma considering the vast ocean of the stuff around her. Searching ahead in the direction Jymir was traveling, Mayura saw the shoreline and the large doors that were obviously the cave's exit only a mile away. "Jymir, you brought me to the exit, and saved my life. Thank you!" she squealed excitedly. Jymir just snorted again in response. That's when she noticed that Jymir wasn't walking on solid ground. "Jy...Jymir? Do you know you're walking on red hot magma?"

«No... I walk without looking where I'm going... Hmm, what could all this red moving ocean of melted rock be? Oh, I don't know... magma?» Jymir rolled his eyes at his rider's stupidity. «God of mischief picked her to marry? Right...»

"Fushigi mystery! A horse that can walk on magma!" In her exuberance over her discovery, Mayura smashed her left foot into Jymir's leg. "Awwwww!" she yelled, her sight blinded by tears.

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The last mile was uneventful although the pain didn't lessen for Mayura. Jymir shivered as he once again stepped onto solid cool ground. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had been scared, terrified of the last two caves. Horses—even those of his bloodline—hated vast amounts of fire and he hadn't been even battle trained yet, still too young to take the harsh training required. And the third cave, although not overly terrifying, set his nerves on edge. When he had once again stepped onto solid ground elation coursed through his body. «Now I can return home in honor, no matter what this feeble mortal does. I have brought her safely through a great challenge.» he thought raising his head high. Jymir trotted triumphantly through the large red doors into the long hallway which would bring them to the Hall of the Fire Giant King.

Mayura struggled into a sitting position on Jymir, determined not to look weak in front of the King. Loki had stressed to her many times about the importance of first impressions, especially among the giant races. Mayura lifted her head high as the trumpets sounded her arrival into the King's Hall. Although she knew it wasn't on her merits, she had survived the Caves of Fire, something that many before her had failed—something that no one besides Loki and his family thought she would ever accomplish—and she was proud.

The doors opened wide, revealing an immense cavern that stretch for miles without a single column in the way. Brightly burning torches adorned the obsidian walls and hung from the high ceiling. At the far end of the cavern sat a large giant wearing nothing more grandiose than that of the gate sentry, yet he had an air about him that suggested great power. Jymir and Mayura approached the throne.

"Hail conquerors of the trials within the Caves of Fire," boomed a large voice. "Welcome to my hall. Tonight we shall dine and tomorrow I will answer thy questions so that thou may continue thy quest."

"Yes of course your majesty," responded Mayura respectfully bowing her head.

"Loki-sama, what is it? Is Mayura-san hurt?" demanded an anxious Yamino, stopping his work tying the bandages around Loki's foot to look in his father's eyes.

"No Mayura's fine... somehow I just know," he rambled looking down at his injured foot.

Yamino notice his father's gaze. "I wonder how you got that burn Loki-sama. You weren't near anything that could have burned you..." he mused, returning back to tending the injury.

"I can't get burned anyway, shouldn't... haven't been since my fire abilities matured..."

"Could this have something to do with Mayura-chan Loki-tama?" spoke up Ecchan after being quiet in thought for quite awhile. "Mayura-chan was in the Caves of Fire when you last checked up on her a couple of days ago right?" she asked floating down to land on Loki's head.

"Right"

"Well, she wouldn't have the fire resistance you do. Maybe she got burned..."

"... and Loki-sama incurred the damage?" inquired Yamino disbelievingly.

"It is a possibility I suppose," commented Loki, "No one truly understands the bond that connects Mayura and I together."

"I finished your bandage Loki-sama. I'll go get Fenrir now."

Loki watched his son and adopted daughter hurriedly exit his room in search for his second oldest and puppy son, who was probably digging holes in the backyard to easy his worry. Loki gently gathered his legs together and rested his chin atop his knees. "I'll finally found you... my butterfly."

Ж

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Ж

Up within the high reaches of Asgard near the great world tree, the waters of Urd's well rippled—but there wasn't even a breeze to disturb the water's smooth surface. "I'm happy for you Loki-chan..."

"Now adventurer, what is it that you seek?" asked the King leaning his head against the palm of his enormous hand.

"Althasil, the quill of Bragi-sama your majesty," answered Mayura gazing up at the over powering figure before her.

"Ah yes, I recall that quill. He seemed to have a special place for it in his heart as I do recall," mused the king, reminiscing on events that happened multiple life times before Mayura was born. "Unfortunately, the daughter of one of the great dwarven miners took a fancy to it when she found it several centuries later." The king leaned down towards Mayura. "I suggest thou turn back from thy quest whilst thou still hast thy life."

"I can not. I have been given this quest by Odin the All-father to prove myself worthy to live in Asgard as the wife of Loki," Mayura stated boldly looking up at the king beseechingly, "and a goddess," she added in a whisper. The Fire Giant King humphed and rested his chin on his fingers. «He looks like that famous sculpture of that guy thinking really hard.» thought Mayura in wonder.

"Very well, since thou hast passed the trials of the Caves of Fire I am obligated to give you assistance upon thy journey, least the wrath of the gods come upon us once again. Seek the derelict tunnels of the dwarves at the edge of Nidavellir. These forbidden mines of the dwarves hold the item which you search. The only entrance to the mines you seek is within the land of Jotunheim. But be warned, dwarves never leave their mines without a good reason. Nor do they leave any processions behind, yet the quill of Bragi still resides within. It is said that a great evil dwells in the deep depths of the mine."

Mayura bowed her head once again. "Great king, I thank you for your wisdom and advice."

"I was only serving my duty to a worthy adventurer according to the laws of my people. Now get out mortal, thy presence is unpleasing to me." That said, the king turned his head and rested it against his right palm, falling asleep.

Mayura and Jymir left the land of Muspelheim unescorted. «He was so rude, and he didn't even tell me his name!» Mayura puffed her checks. «He acted just like Loki-kun the first time I met him.» her face softened at the thought of the adorable ten year old detective she had first known. «Perhaps he isn't that bad... Loki-kun turned out to be a rather nice.»

Author's Note: Here's the answer to the riddle Loki finally figured out in this chapter. "To find your butterfly, you need to find Good Cocoon." Loki was told the riddle in Old Norse when he was a very young child—only eight or nine YEARS OLD. The riddle didn't make any sense in that language. However, when Loki thought of the riddle in Japanese, it suddenly made sense. The elderly fairy even tipped him off about what language to use when she kept calling him Loki-chan—but Loki never caught on. In Japanese the phrase 'Good Cocoon' could be said 'ii mayu' or 'Mayura'!

For those with Japanese language knowledge: Yes, I know that 'Mayura' doesn't mean 'good cocoon' literally. However the two kanji used is 'mayu' which of course is literally cocoon and 'ryou' which means good. When these two kanji are put together for the sake of a name (they don't go together otherwise) they are pronounced as 'Mayura.'
To Aarolye: I don't know what to say. Thank you for all the reviews.

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