Hello all! I sincerely gipe you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the delay, but it's a longer one. ;)
Hena walked excitedly over to her parents, eyes gleaming. The others remained behind, watching, but waiting for the king and queen to come over.
"Loki!" there then came a very excited squeal from their direction and a young girl appeared from behind her parents.
"Oh. No way." Loki muttered, beginning to smile. He started walking over to her as she ran across the field. She hugged him at his waist, barely tall enough to reach even that. Her build was very similar to Hena's. Thin arms and legs and a very small frame. Her hair was lighter in color though and her eyes were a very piercing green.
"I missed you!" Mazi told Loki as she let go and looked up at him with wide eyes "You're a lot taller."
"See!" Hena turned around briefly to point at Loki triumphantly.
"You are also taller than the last time I saw you." Loki told the little girl as he glanced up briefly at Hena.
Thor stared at him and Mazi as the little girl began to talking very eagerly to him. Loki didn't really need to make many comments because she didn't seem to take any breaths.
Hena hugged her father and then her mother, gripping Svleiva slightly longer.
"See, and she still looks well, does she not?" Valder teased over at his wife.
"As her mother, I have a right to be worried." Svleiva countered.
"But as a father, that would be inappropriate." Valder replied, amused. His wife raised a hand warningly at him, hiding a smile.
"I don't want either of you to worry." Hena said, walking beside her mother as they made their way over to Thor and the others.
Mazi relieved Loki after a few more moments and then ran back over to Hena to give her a big hug. Right after that, she went over to the group of adults by the picnic table. She stopped in front of Thor, chin raised.
"What's your name?" she asked expectantly.
The God of Thunder hesistated a moment before responding "I am Thor."
Mazi's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened. She turned around and looked right over to her sister.
"Hena! This is Thor!" she called excitedly.
Hena smiled warmly back at her "I know!"
Mazi glanced back at Thor in fascination "You are not quite as big as I thought of you, but you are very big."
Thor blinked in surprise, realizing that Loki must have mentioned him back on Anaheim when he was there. And perhaps even more than mentioned. His brother was greeting Svleiva and Valder at the moment.
While Thor thought about a response, Mazi moved on to the other Asgardians. Then the mortal group. Once she had sufficiently learned everyone's names there, she ran over to Laura and Lila.
"Is this your mom?" Mazi asked.
Lila stared at the other girl for a moment and then nodded. Laura smiled at her as well.
"That's my mom." Mazi pointed back at Svleiva "And my dad. And my sister."
"Those are my brothers over there." Lila said, speaking of Cooper and Nathaniel. Both of the boys had stopped practicing to look over at the newcomers, but they were slowly beginning to spar again. Mazi finished off her conversation with Lila and then began to hurry over to them.
"Mazi." Svleiva said, turning after her slightly, voice stern.
"I want to say hi!" Mazi complained, looking back with a crestfallen expression. Then, without any consent, she continued on her way over. Svleiva scowled and Valder put a hand on her back.
"She's alright." he said. His wife continued to scowl, however, watching their daughter with concern.
"I'm sorry. I haven't been there to help her release all of that energy." Hena said.
"No, you most definitely have not!" Valder scolded with a smile. They turned their attention to Thor and the others as they got closer.
"Hello again." Valder said with a warm nod "I hope all has been well here."
"Even given the circumstances, yes." Thor replied "Although, we are very curious to hear your news."
"I imagine." Valder said "I have found these events very disturbing. If we may sit, I will describe what has been happening."
Thor nodded. As they began to walk back towards the house, Svleiva called over to Mazi. The little girl waved goodbye to both of the boys quickly and ran over to her parents. Nathaniel and Cooper watched her leave, seeming disoriented by the explosion of emotion.
"Anaheim isn't in danger is it?" Hena asked, her voice concerned as she walked up the steps after her father.
"As far as we can tell, no." Valder replied "But I am erring on the side of caution. And I hope we all do that."
"Then, what is wrong?" Hena stepped to the side of the door with Loki as the others came in after them. Mazi ran up the stairs last and came and stood by her older sister, still fidgeting in excitement.
Valder took in a deep breath, gazing at all the people in the room.
"Even though Anaheim remains neutral in conflicts, we do regulate beings that enter and leave our realm. There are no restrictions, except those who don't have a way to travel to Anaheim. We know when someone comes and leaves. However, lately, there have been unexplained situations where we can feel something entering the realm, but there is no newcomer.
Thor let out a deep breath and they all shared a glance for a moment. Loki's assumption had been correct. The same thing was happening on Anaheim.
"Please, tell me what is troubling you." Valder said, nodding at Thor. The God of Thunder sighed.
"The same thing happened here. Earlier today." he replied "Their mortal technology sensed something and there was nothing there."
"And, despite all of the doubts, it was not the 'technology's' fault." Tony said, nodding several times.
Valder looked at him briefly, but then blinked and returned his eyes to Thor.
"There have not been attacks on our realm, but I can imagine this is inevitable. We may need to act sooner than we thought."
"You mean, lead an attack?" Thor asked.
"Not yet, but we might not have a choice." Valder said with a dip of his head "I am going to have to ask you to call your father here the next time we return. Him and I have much to discuss."
"I agree." Thor said "And I can do so. But my father is currently securing the others of the nine realms besides this one. It may not be for a few more days unless something drastic happens."
"That is understandable." then the king of Anaheim turned over to Mazi with a small smile "I should probably introduce our other daughter, Mazi. She insisted on coming this time."
Mazi's eyes opened wide and then she walked forward politely. Hena watched her with raised eyebrows.
"Yes. I am Mazi." her little sister did a small curtsy "I am very glad to meet you."
Valder didn't laugh, but his eyes showed everything. Svleiva smiled at her daughter as she returned to Hena's side with a dutiful posture. However, she broke it as she looked up at her sister proudly.
"I already asked them their names." she informed her parents.
"I imagine you made short work of that." Valder replied in good humor.
"Yes. And now I am going to return outside." Mazi responded with the same formality.
Neither of her parents objected, so the little girl left.
"Well, I'm still not tall enough to reach any of the books on the high shelves." Mazi informed Loki, with obvious indignation.
The God of Mischief's eyebrows went up in amusement "Well, you'll grow. That shouldn't be a problem for too long."
"But Hena can barely reach them." Mazi countered "And I will probably be shorter than her."
"I doubt that." Loki responded.
Svleiva watched them from just inside the house, smiling ever so slightly. Lila and Mazi did get along very well, just as Hena predicted. Hawkeye's daughter was very excited to have another girl her own age to relate with.
"We really could have used him back on Anaheim. She stays entertained for hours." Valder said, tilting his head toward Mazi and Loki with a smile.
"Yes, but at what cost?" Hena asked with mock shrillness "He might go insane."
"I doubt it." Valder replied with one chuckle "He handles her very well."
"So do I, but sometimes I think I've gone crazy." Hena said, although her voice smiled. She walked past him, possibly to join those outside.
Valder paused for a moment to observe her before glancing over at Hawkeye "This is your home, yes?"
Hawkeye looked up and around for a moment "Uh, yeah." he nodded.
"It is very separate from the rest of your society." Valder said "I suspect someone in your position would like somewhere to withdraw quietly."
"Well, there is that." Hawkeye agreed with a few nods "But it is also a precautionary measure to keep my wife and children safe."
"I understand." Valder confirmed "My family is protected by our soldiers, but we also have a place far from our palace to retire to on occasion."
"As...king," Tony began, spreading both hands for a moment as he nodded "I assume that you would know all about people potentially coming after your family."
"Not as much as you would expect." Valder replied honestly "At least, not on Anaheim. Our line of family has kept the throne since the beginning of our realm and, through our powers, we have been able to keep corruption out of it. I do not know how it is on realms such as Asgard."
Volstagg looked in Thor's direction, seeming to expect him to join the conversation. The God of Thunder lowered the hand that had rested near his mouth as he began to speak.
"We are similar in that aspect, although we have not had mind searching magic to aid us." he said "I cannot recall a time where our family was unsafe from anyone within the realm. Then again, we are not like Earth. Our king reins over the entire realm, so any attack on our family is an attack on the realm."
Valder nodded in agreement. His eyes flicked over to where an Asgardian soldier was walking up the steps.
"He may have a message from my father, excuse me." Thor said, walking over to greet the guard. Although they couldn't communicate telepathically like those from Anaheim, they had means of communicating with Heimdall, who, in turn, would relay the message to Odin. The message must have been very simple because the guard left after only speaking with Thor for about twenty seconds. Then the God of Thunder turned back and looked at Valder and Svleiva.
"Odin would like to meet with you in a few days time." he said "If it is alright with Clint, we will have the council here."
Hawkeye's eyebrows went up in surprise.
"Why not?" he asked, although no nonmortal would pick up on any exasperation in his tone.
"Thank you." Valder nodded once at Thor "I can share with him what I have seen. Perhaps similar things have happened on Asgard."
Sif seemed to realize something at his words and tilted her head in concern.
"Perhaps Heimdall cannot see it if it is happening." she said "Asgard has defenses, but we do also rely on him."
"I am certain Asgard is not in danger." Valder assured her, although that didn't seem to pacify Sif.
"Odin has secured the realm." Thor said in response "And, it doesn't seem as if these incidents have led to any attacks thus far."
"You guys haven't heard of any invisible aliens by chance, have you?" Tony asked, pointing at the leaders of Anaheim with two fingers.
They exchanged a glance briefly before Valder shook his head and Svleiva spoke.
"Those kinds of beings do not exist." she said "Unless they have been created somehow. It doesn't seem realistic that an entire race would be able to remain completely unknown to the universe."
"Alright." Tony conceded with a wave "Fair enough."
"I suspect Odin will want to hear of it either way." Valder maintained "He is a fine king and a good man."
Svleiva let out an obvious peeved breath at his words, looking away. Valder glanced at her while Thor frowned at her disagreement. The Warriors did as well.
"I know you have your differences." Valder said, voice surprisingly good humored "But he has been a charismatic leader for many."
"It's alright. Some personalities just do not blend well together." Svleiva replied, still irritated.
She looked at Thor "I mean no offense. He has led well. I do not approve of some actions, but that should not take away from the good he has done."
"What interactions have you had with him?" Thor asked, without any amount of scorn in his tone whatsoever. It was just a question of curiosity.
"Not many, but my first impression was not ideal." Svleiva replied "I won't go into detail. I am aware of the fact that I must keep my own misgivings to myself, particularly around Loki. He has enough of his own for his adopted father."
Thor looked surprised for a moment, but he knew he shouldn't be. Even if they couldn't read minds, the king and queen would surely have learned about Loki's perception of Odin when he explained how he got to Anaheim.
"That is appreciated." he said.
Svleiva nodded at him, almost as if surprised herself. Surprised Thor would expect any different.
"Sometime, I am going to sit that boy down and make him eat a proper meal." she said, shaking her head as she looked out at Loki.
"He's more than a boy." Valder commented in amusement.
"Not to me." Svleiva replied "I am a mother to all." she shook her head again "He's very thin."
Valder leaned to see the God of Mischief same as her, eyebrows up.
"It must be a mother's eyes then." he said "He doesn't look changed from when I saw him last."
Svleiva glanced at her husband, almost with amused disappointment.
"It most definitely is." she said "I can see that is started happening once he left Anaheim because he was different when he came to Earth. But it was severely exacerbated at the death of his mother."
Thor's eyes always lowered slightly at the mention of Frigga, but they returned to the queen shortly after. He could see his friends sharing glances, but he wanted to listen to Svleiva if she had anything else to say.
Unfortunately, it didn't look like she did. She had returned her gaze outside.
Lila was approaching from outside now. She came in and went directly to her mother in the kitchen. She beckoned Laura down to her height and then whispered something in her ear as the others conversation began again.
"Well," Valder said, looking back at Thor "I await our meeting with your father. Please do not hesitate to send a message through Hena if something becomes urgent."
Several of the others nodded along with the God of Thunder, even though it was clearly aimed at Thor. They followed the leaders of Anaheim outside. Svleiva suddenly whistled very lightly, closer to a bird than a human. The others were obviously all surprised for a moment, but both Hena and Mazi stopped what they were doing and looked over. Loki watched them for a moment, eyebrows up before doing the same. Mazi started walking over to her mother, who had taken steps in their direction.
Valder looked at the group of silently confused people behind him.
"She doesn't like to yell." he explained in amusement "When Hena was younger, Svleiva couldn't communicate in her mind, so she would whistle if she needed to see her. It became habit and Mazi adopted it when she was old enough to understand what it was." he smiled over at his wife "She whistles, you come. Apparently we have our children well trained."
"We should have tried that." Hawkeye said "Their names don't seem to work at all."
"Which you'd think would be more personal, but it's not." Valder replied.
Mazi stared at her mother in dismay. They spoke back and forth for a moment before Mazi seemed to plead with her mother.
Laura was walking out of the house with her own daughter behind her. She spotted the scene and walked over to Valder. Lila stopped a bit farther back, watching her new friend.
"Mazi is welcome to stay." Laura said, making Hawkeye, as well as several of the others, look around in surprise. The king stared at her for a moment, eyes flicking between his daughter and Laura. Then he shook his head.
"Thank you." he said, now nodding "But I think it might be best if she returned home with us. You have enough to worry about without another child to look after. Especially one as lively as Mazi."
"There's nothing she's done I haven't see before." Laura replied, smiling.
"Well, you wait." Valder chuckled.
"To be honest, our daughter hasn't had another girl around her age to play with in a while." Laura said "You would be doing me a favor." she glanced over at Lila "She was the one who asked actually."
Valder's eyebrows went up in surprise. He paused for another moment, looking over at Svleiva and his daughter. The queen must have won the argument because Mazi looked a bit like she was sulking. Loki and Hena were walking over with her now.
"I know Mazi would enjoy that." he said "Let me have a word with my wife. Excuse me." he turned slightly to walk over to Svleiva. Mazi was obediently saying her farewell to Loki, obviously still unhappy. Loki spoke to her assuredly, smiling as he gave her a hug. Lila watched them intently.
"You really want another kid here?" Hawkeye asked incredulously, staring at her with a bit of amusement.
"I know, I already have about ten." Laura responded.
"Count Clint twice." Tony interjected for her, raising a finger.
Laura smiled, but spoke to her husband "Trust me, it will be to our benefit to have Lila entertained."
"If we can handle another God." Hawkeye said, then paused and shrugged with one shoulder "Godness."
"I just hope I didn't start a war between those two." Laura said, pointing one finger briefly at Valder and Svleiva.
The king and queen were talking together now. Her expression showed a bit of disbelief, as if stunned he would suggest leaving their other daughter there.
"I doubt it." Hawkeye replied.
Loki and Hena were both listening to the conversation, eyebrows up in surprise. Mazi was saying goodbye to Cooper and Nathaniel now, so she wasn't aware of the situation. Svleiva glanced over at the group of Avengers just a bit away before looking back at her husband. Hena spoke up from behind her mother, seeming to advocate on Mazi's behalf.
It did take a moment, and Svleiva was obviously still uneasy, but she must have given her consent because Valder called Mazi over. She came, very disheartened, but her expression changed when her father spoke. She turned to her mother, eyes wide and mouth open. The queen nodded at her. Then Mazi let out an excited screech, attracting both Nathaniel and Cooper's attention. She went up to both Loki and Hena, talking and explaining what they had already heard so fast, they could barely understand her.
Valder glanced back from where he was returning to Laura, smiling. Then he turned back to the mortal.
"Well, it appears she's all yours for the time being. Tell Hena to send word when she needs to return to Anaheim. And please don't feel obligated to keep her. She's very well-behaved, but definitely has a lot of energy to keep up with."
"I should be okay, but I'll let you know if I need saving." Laura replied in amusement.
Valder smiled and dipped his head at her. Then he nodded at the others and lifted one hand in farewell.
"We will speak again soon."
Thor did the same to him as the king passed.
"And, you." he said, lifting up Mazi once he got there. She spread her arms like she was flying as she laughed. Valder looked up at her "You listen to the adults here, please."
"I will." Mazi promised as he set her down. Then he leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead. The girl ran over to her mother after that and wrapped her arms around Svleiva's legs. The queen lowered herself down and hugged her daughter.
"You behave yourself." she said sternly "Be very good and mind your manners. I might not be here to keep an eye on you, but Hena is."
Mazi nodded, doing her best to look serious.
"I love you." Svleiva said, tapping her daughter once on the nose, eyes earnest "You be safe. And stay out of trouble."
Mazi hugged her again "Don't worry, mother, Loki will be here to save us!"
Valder glanced over at Loki, amused.
Hena looked at the God of Mischief in mock amazement "Wow, look at you! You received the personal seal of approval!"
"I know. I feel very proud." Loki replied, nodding as if equally surprised.
Svleiva released Mazi "Well, let's hope it's not necessary!"
She got to her feet and walked over to give her older daughter a hug too. Then she gave one to Loki before returning to Valder. He smiled at her and then the bright light enveloped the two of them, causing everyone else to look away. They were gone as soon as they'd come.
"I have been practicing so much." Mazi said, nodding enthusiastically "But there were somethings I could not remember that you told me."
Loki and Mazi stood a few feet away from Hena, who listened to her little sister speak. It seemed that once again, the Avengers had nothing new to do, even with the information Valder had brought them. The mention of securing the nine realms had made Captain America curious as to what Odin would do for Midgard. But since Thor and the others were there, he wasn't sure if the Allfather would be paying a lot of extra attention in their direction.
"I haven't been able to make an illusion in a while." Mazi replied, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. Then they went up again in excitement "Can you show me how to do this one again?" she rounded her hands and placed one on top of the other.
Loki let out an amused breath before nodding as he got down on one knee beside her.
"Alright, keep your hands like you have there." he said, cupping hands into a ball. He brought it up to his mouth and then blew into it while opening his hands. A light yellow butterfly came out, flying upwards to the sky, wings fluttering earnestly. Mazi watched, a smile nearly covering her entire face. Lila stood a bit behind her, but her eyes were wide with astonishment.
Hawkeye looked at her, expression humorous as she observed something that usually only happened in stories.
"Now, you try." Loki prompted Mazi.
The little girl copied his previous actions, eyes concentrated. She opened her own hands, but an illusion did not appear. She scowled at the air as if it were at fault.
"You'll be able to do it." Loki said "You did it before."
Mazi nodded and then began to repeat the process. Loki watched with a smile as a butterfly proportional to her hands came out. It vanished before it could fly very high, but it was enough for the Anaheimien princess. She covered her mouth excitedly and then hopped up and down a few times, a shrill squeal escaping her mouth. Hena laughed silently as her sister thanked Loki and hurried over to Lila.
"Watch, I want to show you something." she said excitedly. Lila was all too happy to oblige.
Loki got back to his feet, watching them for a moment.
"You would think that this was the first time you showed her that." Hena said, smiling.
"She was out of practice." Loki replied.
"But it came right back." Hena said "When you begin teaching her how to make an illusion of herself and vanish, let me know. I can hardly maintain an image myself."
"It is much easier to learn when you're younger, but you'll be able to eventually." Loki replied "Although, I don't recall you having that much interest in it."
"I was interested!" Hena objected indignantly, hands raising to her hips "But it is a very hard thing to do. Mazi seems to really enjoy it, so I would rather she learned first."
"Ah." Loki replied with a slight raise of his chin.
"Besides, you are much more patient with her than you are with me." Hena said quickly, as if trying to get in at least one insult.
"Excuse me?" Loki asked, eyebrows going up "Who was impatient with whom? You wouldn't even allow me to finish explaining."
"Untrue." Hena replied, although her humored voice indicated it was true.
"Also, you are older and it is much more difficult to teach someone who is already set in their ways." Loki said.
Hena folded her arms lightly, staring him down for a moment. Then she rolled her eyes.
"I concede." she said.
"You don't need to concede." Loki replied, smiling.
A low-pitched alert came from something in Tony's direction, causing those nearest to him to glance over. He held up his arm to take a look at his oversized watch.
"It's not an alarm." he said immediately, without looking at them "Nothing seems to have breached our atmosphere." then he paused as if something had just occurred to him "Although," he lowered his arm again, face contemplative "That is only where I have surveillance..."
"What?" Captain America asked.
Tony pointed a finger at him as he thought before turning around.
"What are you doing?" Captain America asked as the billionaire walked past him towards the house. Tony turned to him slightly and continued walking backwards.
"Well, I thought I would get a few more of my suits flying out and about, as well as coordinate a satellite search for a better perimeter. We might want a broader scope if things really are coming here invisibly." he spread his hands "If that's alright with you, of course."
He obviously wasn't expecting any permission, because he turned back.
"Oh, and Barton, Clint, Hawkeye, Natasha, Romanoff, whatever you want to be called," he said "We might want to get working on getting Fury's okay on using some SHIELD resources on the hunt for foreign invaders."
"You'll have to explain what's going on first." Black Widow called in return.
"I won't." Tony responded "So, do your best in keeping this a secret."
"Would your father consider waging war against this Thanos guy?" Hawkeye asked Thor, ignoring the man as he walked away. He tilted a head at Hena a few feet away "Because her father would and he's peaceful."
The prince sighed "Fighting a war, yes. Attacking would be unlikely. My father has not been the instigator of battle in a very long time."
"Good man." Captain America said, nodding at him with serious eyes.
"I do not believe that Valder was suggesting to attack straight away." Thor replied with a slight glance at Hena, who looked over at the mention of her father "He doesn't strike me as anymore battle thirsty than Odin. I suspect that we will need to monitor these near undetectable intrusions. That should give us enough justification to confront the dark beings."
"We've only fought one war in my lifetime." Hena said, speaking a bit louder than usual so they could hear her "But we are always prepared for it."
"Doesn't look like waiting will be an option anymore." Captain America responded "At least after Valder speaks to Odin."
"Offensive on the God of Death seems...like a gamble." Black Widow said.
"Then dig up those roulette skills." Hawkeye replied dryly.
"Oh I'm not the one who would be rusty." Black Widow replied shaking her head at him with a small smile.
"Should we send warning to Asgard about what's happening here now?" Volstagg asked "Odin should be cautioned."
"I have no doubts that Heimdall overheard our conversation." Thor replied with a nod "He will report as needed."
"You know, I've always relied on Heimdall for a lot of things." Fandral said "But it is worrisome to believe we cannot right now."
"He still sees most things that occur among the realms." Volstagg said "After all, we have never needed his abilities to be extended beyond the nine. That is where they are to be focused."
"I know." Fandral replied in exasperation "Which is why being attacked from people outside the nine realms is an unpleasant thought."
"Or within them." Sif reminded him "Heimdall couldn't see the frost giants when they came here until they interacted with us."
"You see?" Fandral asked, raising his eyebrows "Not a happy prospect."
"Well, Anaheim is outside the nine realms and we are standing with you. Many others will too." Hena pointed out.
"I hope so." Fandral replied "I would just be more comfortable if Heimdall was able to warn us."
"Me too." Captain America said "But then again, I've never been one to rely on the supernatural."
There was a moment of silence as they pondered that. Hawkeye turned to him, eyebrow up with an expression of disbelief "Uh, but aren't even my arrows supernatural to you?"
"You use vibranium." Fandral said, gesturing at his shield "A remarkably strong metal. Although that is not considered supernatural to us, it is to most mortals."
Captain America shrugged slightly. He had been about to give Hawkeye a look when the Asgardian spoke.
"But, you're not quite mortal. I understand." Fandral continued, nodding.
"Nope. He hovers just in the middle between the two." Hawkeye said, holding his fingers about an inch apart. Then he dropped his arm at the sound of his wife's voice "Alright, I'm rounding up the kids for a snack. Be right back."
He took a few steps away, looking up as he passed Hena "I'm not sure what Mazi eats, but..."
"She'll eat anything you have here. She won't be picky." Hena replied "Although, don't make her much. She won't eat a lot."
"Okay." Hawkeye replied with a thumbs up as he turned.
"Then again, I don't really know everything that they eat here." Hena said in Loki's direction "But she should be fine."
"I imagine." the God of Mischief replied.
Hawkeye called over to all the children, waving at them towards the house. Mazi was still showing Lila the butterfly trick, although she could only do it about every three times. Lila was trying to copy her, but, obviously, she didn't have any ability to do so.
Laura appeared on the porch with a tray of food. They still had a lot of the fruit from Anaheim, but she wasn't one to complain about healthy food lying around. She began walking towards the picnic table where Hawkeye intercepted her and took the tray. Nathaniel and Cooper were already seated and waiting. Lila was waiting for Mazi, but the princess appeared unsure. She looked back at Hena with a tilt of her head, eyebrows furrowed. Her older sister nodded at her affirmatively.
Thor watched the exchange thoughtfully.
"Then, you two can communicate through your minds as well." he observed.
"Yes, although, she is still learning." Hena replied "Takes a while to master it." she glanced at Loki "Not for Loki though. You like to show me up."
"It has proved most difficult." Loki replied evenly, sides of his mouth curving up. Hena smiled, nost wrinkling.
"Maybe we should try it for you." she said, looking at Thor with with excited eyes. He blinked at her.
"Uh. I've never...been one to do that sort of thing." he responded uncertainly.
"Correct, he's never been one to fool with useless spells." Loki said, rephrasing his brother's words. He didn't look away from Mazi as he said this.
Hena paused for a moment, eyes moving as if not sure what to say. Thor scowled at Loki in the mean time.
"Okay." Hena said finally "Apparently that's a sore...issue. Anyway, it would take you a while to learn, but I'm sure you could."
"Are you able to establish a connection with a mortal?" Fandral asked curiously. The jibe between the two brothers wasn't anything new to the Warriors, so they didn't even pause.
"I believe so, but that might take a little bit more effort than usual." Hena replied "We've never had to before." her voice changed just a little and her eyes went stern "Mazi, get down, please."
Her little sister stood on the bench of the picnic table, balancing on one foot, with her arms open wide. She froze at the sound of her sister's voice and then obediently hopped down.
"I would prefer we were able to bring you back to Anaheim just how you left." Hena said.
"You will." Mazi replied. Then she stepped back, eyes brightening "Catch me, Loki. Here I come!"
Loki turned to her fully as she began to run at him. When she was about a yard from him, she jumped into the air, flying into his arms. He caught her easily, although he did take one step back to carry her momentum. Mazi laughed in pleasure as he set her back down.
"Be careful." Hena said, although she was smiling.
"I would like to be taller." Mazi proclaimed, hanging on Loki's arm.
"I am so sorry, I don't have a spell for that." the God of Mischief replied, shaking his head in distress.
"Then lift me up." Mazi said. Loki raised his arm, pulling her up with it. She then grabbed ahold of his shoulder and pulled herself farther up. Loki had his arms ready to make sure that she didn't topple off, but the princess success fully maneuvered herself around until she was sitting on his shoulders.
"Now I am the tallest." she said triumphantly "I am taller than Hena."
Loki looked over at Hena in amusement, who folded her arms.
"I am the queen." Mazi said, arms in the air. She lowered them definitively "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Loki asked.
"That way." Mazi replied, pointing to her left.
"Apparently we will be back later." Loki said, addressing Hena. The little girl's legs were tucked around his arms and when he moved, she gripped his shoulders tightly. He had ahold of her, but she clearly wanted to secure herself as well.
"Good luck." Hena replied honestly, smiling.
"Go!" Mazi said impatiently. She leaned back abruptly as Loki took a few steps forward, laughing under his breath.
"You have to tell me where." he replied, continuing to walk "I can't just wander into oblivion."
They were still leaving when Thor finally blinked, rousing himself from staring. He didn't have experience hiding emotion, so the humor and pentinence on his face were obvious. Hena glanced in his direction, but her attention was drawn to Cooper and Nathaniel leaving the picnic table. All three of the children had picked the fruit bowls clean. There were still some miscellaneous snacks there, but nothing else.
"That was probably the easiest time I've ever had getting them to do that." Laura called over to her "You must know how to grow your gardens to make the fruit more sweet."
Hena smiled proudly "We do enjoy our fruit there. Anytime you need more, we can be sure to deliver. You are being rather generous with your home, after all."
"Oh, well, I'm not sure we'll even be able to eat everything you brought. Even with the children devouring it by the second." Laura replied, sounding a bit dismayed.
"It will last longer than you're used to." Hena told her "But we also make a lot of fruit into jam. Do you eat jam here?"
"Yes, plenty." Laura replied, nodding with her eyebrows up to signal that she meant it "But I don't make it."
"Well, I can show you." Hena said "I would love to show you. It's very simple and you can preserve it for longer."
Laura paused, as if really thinking about it.
"You know, I think I would actually enjoy that." she replied honestly "And they put jam on just about anything."
Hena nodded. She glanced over at Mazi and Loki once before beginning to walk to the house.
They were only a few yards away now. Her sister was back on the ground now, watching the God of Mischief manipulate the air with his hands. He appeared to be showing her an incantation, but it wasn't possible to tell what it was from her vantage point.
Hena smiled faintly at them as Loki jumped in mock surprise, like he had done something unexpected with the spell. Mazi's mouth opened wide for a moment, then she scolded him indignantly. Her voice sounded very similar to Hena's but in a higher pitch. The universe would have expected the little girl to hit Loki a few times, but she didn't. Instead, she resumed her careful listening to Loki's instruction. Her eyes were intent.
"Illusions of yourself are easiest to create." Loki said "And maintain."
"I want to be able to disappear." Mazi replied, her voice eager.
"You'll have to learn how to cast an image first." Loki maintained "And that will take time. Start with the smaller things and it will get easier over time."
She nodded just the same "That sounds excellent."
Loki smiled slightly at her exaggerated formality "Okay. Now, here."
He materialized one of his books and then set it carefully on the grass.
"Concentrate on the shape of the book." he said "Then focus on it being another shape. A sphere would be easiest, I believe."
It was harder to hear them from where he was, but Thor recognized the exercise his mother had done with Loki when he was younger. He'd feel the still solid shapes beneath the illusion when his brother could finally hold the spell. They had made short work of using that to trick the servants.
Loki took a few steps back, allowing Mazi some space as she practiced. He tucked his hands loosely behind him, silently observing.
"She seems so young for the amount of skill she already possess." Hogun commented.
Thor shrugged as if he agreed with him "They are a realm of magic."
"Technically the Aesir are as well." Volstagg said "They just don't all practice in the form that Frigga and Loki do."
"That takes a different disposition." Fandral agreed "Some of Anaheim's magic appears to be passed on only through the royal family. That would be useful. Especially as Valder said. Keeping any corruption out of the throne."
"We've managed to do that without magic." Sif pointed "Except when Loki took it during Thor's banishment."
Volstagg frowned slightly before glancing at her curiously.
"As much as I didn't enjoy Loki on the throne, and how weird it is for me to defend him, I have to disagree. Loki never took over the throne on Asgard. It was forced upon him when Thor was gone and Odin was was unable. It didn't seem like that at the time, but that's what happened."
Sif was silent for a moment, her gaze mildly surprised and thoughtful.
"I suppose that's true." she said, grudgingly.
"Hena!" Mazi called over before spotting that her sister wasn't over there. Her eyes scowled, looking at Loki.
"Where'd she go?"
The God of Mischief also glanced briefly at the group where Hena had been not long before. He replied in a softer tone with a shrug. Then he gestured vaguely at the house.
"I want to show her this." Mazi said, her voice still bright, but with the barest hint of frustration.
"You can. Keep practicing and perfect it for when she returns." Loki replied.
"I have tried to be perfect." Mazi informed him "It does not work."
He smiled in return, gaze sparkling, as she readied herself to continue practicing anyway. Her eyes opened wide suddenly and she let out a low murmur of fear. She hurried over to Loki, eyes on something in the sky. She gripped the hem of his clothing as he followed her gaze, eyebrows up with his hands on her shoulders and back.
Two of the empty Ironman suits were flying towards the house, ready to make a landing not far from all of them.
"What are those?" Mazi asked, nervously tucked behind him.
"Nothing dangerous." Loki replied, glancing down at her. So many of the them had come and gone above them, none of the others had given the machines a second thought.
"Where are they from?" Mazi asked "Asgard?"
Loki shook his head "No."
"Jotunheim?" she asked, head tilted. She knew they were not of Anaheim.
Again, he shook his head "No. Midgard."
Mazi's eyebrows furrowed "Oh." she let go of him, peering at the landed suits. All thought of magic dispersed as the little girl began walking over to them. Loki followed her a little farther back, picking up his book as he passed it.
"Let's see what that's about." Captain America said, also heading the direction of the house.
Thor waited a moment, wanting to continue the conversation with his friends, but realizing that the moment had most likely passed. It was rare to hear Sif concede to anything.
Tony and Banner were just finishing a conversation Captain America walked up the steps. Hena and Laura were in the kitchen, talking.
"Something wrong?" the soldier asked. Tony looked over, eyes flicking side to side.
"Other than the impending doom of a God of Death?" he asked, shaking his head "Not a thing. Why?"
"Two of your machines are out there. Scared Mazi out of her wits." Captain America said. Hena looked over in surprise.
"Last time that happened, we had an issue at hand." Hawkeye reminded him, leaning against the door frame.
"Well tell Mazi I am so sorry." Tony said, putting a hand to his chest with his mouth open in dismay.
"It's okay!" the little girl came in, pushing past Hawkeye and Thor. She looked at Hena triumphantly "There you are."
Loki walked up behind her, his entrance quiet compared to hers.
"Not an issue, I'm just rotating them out." Tony continued, turning back to his transparent, electronic board.
"When you have completed your task here, I want to show you something." Mazi told Hena seriously. That sent a murmur of amusement through the adults in the room.
"I'm just about done." Hena replied, smiling "I was just showing her how we use our extra fruit."
"Yes, jam." Mazi said, looking at Laura "Lots of jam. It is very good."
"I believe you." Laura said in return.
Hena stepped out of the kitchen "You can show me."
Mazi rose to her toes and then turned to Loki. She reached up and touched his book "I am going to borrow this. I will be very careful with it."
"Oh, thank you." Loki responded just before the little girl disappeared out the door.
"Don't tell me she's doing spells already." Hena said with amazed sarcasm, walking after her little sister.
"Don't worry, there's not one spell in that book." Loki replied. Hena laughed very quietly, remaining in the door to watch "I'm ready, Mazi."
"You don't use spells. I never understood why you studied them." Thor said towards his brother. Loki looked at him.
"How would you know?" he asked irritably, eyes narrowed.
"When do you say something out loud?" Thor asked.
"Why would I have to say something out loud?" Loki countered.
Thor blinked in surprise. He really didn't understand magic "It's not necessary to speak it?"
"Not for me." Loki said. He didn't sound flattered, arrogant, or proud as one would expect. His voice was flat.
"Then I assume mother didn't either." Thor replied, glancing down as he pondered that "When-"
"Shhhh." The God of Mischief raised a hand lightly, eyes focused as if listening to something intently all of sudden. Thor fell silent, watching him while he also listened. After a moment more of that, he spoke.
"What?"
"Nothing. But now you're quiet." Loki responded.
Thor straightened himself, scowling. Hawkeye suppressed a laugh, so all that came out was an amused breath. It almost would have been appropriate for Loki to stick out a tongue at his older brother, but he didn't. He just turned his attention to Hena as she stepped back in.
"She's very good at that." she said, speaking of her sister.
"She has a talent for it." Loki agreed, nodding.
"As you have one for mockery." Thor said, nearly under his breath.
"And you for ignorance." Loki replied "To put it mildly."
Thor shot him a look but the God of Mischief did not acknowledge it. Hena didn't say anything, but her mouth was open slightly, wondering what had transpired in those few seconds. She waited a moment in silence before mentally shrugging it off
Even though Mazi was staying mainly for Lila's benefit, she was enjoying her time with the two boys as well. In fact, she was practically hailed by Laura and Hawkeye for getting all of them to play together. The mortal children taught Mazi tag and she, in turn, taught them various games from Anaheim. Nathaniel and Cooper were also excited to show and be shown fighting techniques. Lila had eventually joined in with them, but only casually.
Together, Laura and Hena prepared a dinner for everyone. And, like her sister said, Mazi was first to finish and leave the table. Politely, however.
Loki had actually eaten with Hena this time. They'd been away from the others, closer to the living room. Beer and mead had made an appearance again later after dinner. All the mortals avoided the Asgardian liquor this time though.
The sun was getting lower in the sky and all of the children were still outside, much to Hena's dismay. Thor had gone out to speak with the guards for a moment, which comforted her. Loki reassured her many times as well. They were currently having a conversation between the two of them, which the Warriors would listen to every once in a while.
"I wouldn't worry so much about her out there." Loki was saying, referring to Mazi "She does what she's told. She'll come in when she's supposed to."
"I know. But, once it is dark, nothing is visible anymore. And being blind is very frightening to me." Hena replied, shaking her head lightly "Mazi knows she's not supposed to be out once it's dark. My mother is fairly firm on that."
"And no one wants a lecture from her." Loki mused.
"Hey." Hena folded her arms "You're right, but hey."
"It was not meant as an insult." Loki replied.
"Did your mother lecture you two when you were children?" Hena queried. Volstagg raised an eyebrow, interested in his response.
"Heavens yes." Loki said, nodding seriously.
"Did she punish you a lot?" Hena asked, smiling now.
"Well, how so?" Loki asked in return "We go into trouble, yes. Scolded and disciplined.
Punishment was less frequent."
"But you got into trouble a lot?"
"I mean, I don't know." Loki shrugged "Sure."
"Based on your memories of Thor, I would imagine he got into trouble more often." Hena said. Her voice suggested a question rather than a statement.
"Incorrect." Loki replied "Although that should have been the case."
"What do you mean?" Hena asked curiously.
"We were always doing things together. Which is ridiculous because it's much harder to get away with things with two people rather than one. And if Thor was in trouble, I could usually come up with a convincing enough lie. But if they saw through that then we were both chastised. Thor punished for whatever he did and I was in trouble for lying to them."
"Ah." Hena said with an upward nod "That's also why you're so good at it."
Loki glanced at her, half amused and half stern "I suppose so."
"Then did you always get into trouble together or did one of you do it more?" Hena asked, suppressing her laugh.
"The amount of times or quality?" Loki tilted his head.
This time, the Anaheimien woman just laughed right out loud.
"Is that how you view getting into trouble?" she asked, her grin huge. She lowered her voice to sound like him "'I only did it once, but don't worry. That was quality trouble. I have done well.'"
Loki shrugged in good nature, but he didn't respond.
"In other words, you just didn't get caught like Thor did?" Hena concluded.
"Well. Most the things I did weren't really cause for concern." Loki replied.
"Oh, oh, oh, here they come." Hena said, pointing out the window. Indeed, all of the children were racing towards the house. It almost appeared as if Thor had joined them, but more likely he had just been heading in the same direction when they decided to head in.
"Sorry to deviate from our conversation." Hena said, attention back on Loki now.
One of the Anaheimien guards held out a hand to Mazi as she passed and she ran through it as if crossing a finish line. That made her giggle and he laughed quietly before resuming his post.
"Who's that?" Lila asked her as they came into the house.
"That is one of my guards." Mazi replied "He can be fun sometimes."
"Why do you have guards?" Cooper asked, his voice almost scornful.
"Because my dad is a king and bad people could try to hurt me." Mazi explained. Several of the adults in the room rose their eyebrows in surprise and amusement at her astute response.
"My dad is an agent and bad people try to get him all the time. He's impressive." Nathaniel said. Laura pressed her lips together, looking at Hawkeye dubiously. He shook his head slightly, ready to interfere as the comparing started.
"He is impressive." Mazi agreed kindly "And he should have guards too."
Cooper and Nathaniel looked shocked for a moment, but Lila didn't want to wait for them.
"Come upstairs to my room." she told Mazi "I want to show you something."
"Will I like it?" Mazi asked excitedly, eyes lighting up.
"Mhm." Lila nodded.
"Okay." Mazi walked past her and the two of them headed up the stairs.
Captain America took a sip of beer, looking entertained. Thor walked in, greeted by Volstagg with an offer of mead. The God of Thunder accepted a glass, immediately taking a drink from it.
"We want some cream soda." Cooper said, going over to his mother. Laura nodded. It became a tradition for them to have a soda in a bottle very similar looking to their father's. But the mead looked more like cream soda than anything.
"How could you do that?" Hena asked Loki in a hushed tone, her voice completely horrified.
That piqued Thor's interest and he glanced over, glass still at his mouth.
"Well, I had to, it was the only way I could escape." Loki replied.
"Yes, but how?" Hena demanded "That's terrible."
Thor lowered his cup, so obviously staring at them. Hena noticed and smiled.
"Sorry, he's just telling me a...horrible story about when he was younger."
Loki looked over his shoulder at his brother for a moment, not as willing as Hena to bring him into the conversation.
"How he broke his own wrist to get away from the beasts on Alfheim." she said.
Thor raised his chin in realization "I remember that."
"That was one of the worst battles I can recall." Fandral added, showing that they were also listening in. Loki didn't acknowledge their words besides a small turn of his head.
"Honestly, a broken bone was the least of my worries." he said, still speaking to Hena.
"Yes, I know, but how could you do that?" she repeated in exasperation.
"Well, it was either that or die." Loki replied "They had almost everyone else in binds and the beasts weren't going to let us go because they had a change of heart. Thor was being surrounded and everyone else was wounded or chained like me."
"But, self-harm..." Hena said, shaking her head with creased eyebrows.
"No, no, self-harm is when you're hurting yourself and you're at least partially enjoying it." Loki replied, waving a hand lightly "This was just to get away. The only thing preventing me from getting out was a bendable bond, so what would you expect?"
"I probably just would have died." Hena said, glancing away.
"I doubt it." Loki sounded amused now.
"How do you physically break your wrist?" Hena asked, turning to him in confusion.
"Well, you just." he held up his hand and looked at it. Then, his eyes flicked to Cooper and Nathaniel, who were watching intently. Loki lowered his arm back down.
"I should explain later." he told Hena "Or we'll have two broken-wristed children running around."
Hena glanced around at them briefly before nodding affirmatively. Then, almost in a contradictory movement, she shook her head briefly "Wow. Did you just figure out how to break a bone on the spot or had you done it before?"
"Thor had broken my wrist multiple times before." Loki said.
"On accident." Thor spoke up, scowling. His younger brother scoffed very quietly as if he didn't believe him. Or didn't care to have his opinion thrown in.
"I have broken maybe two bones in my lifetime." Hena replied "Mazi and I have never played or fought that rough before."
"That's because you're girls." Loki said, the corners of his mouth edging up "You know. Smarter. Thor and I would hold our breath until we passed out just to prove we could."
"Oh my." Hena shook her head, smiling at that in wonder "I'm surprised you made it to adulthood."
"Why? We didn't have too many near death experiences." Loki replied with an innocent shrug.
"And you didn't wise up after the first one." Hena said "I mean, what in the world would make you stop trying to get yourselves killed?"
"Actually, there was a point as a child when I did realize death was a possibility." Loki responded, eyes thoughtful. He didn't continue, so Hena had to prompt him.
"What was that?" she asked, grinning almost as if only humoring him.
"Well, one day when I went out to the lake by myself, I saw something in the water." Loki began, voice a bit more hushed now.
Hena tilted her head, eyes blinking with a sudden somber look. Loki paused again, mulling over the memory.
"It was a boy. Just a little younger than me." he continued, eyes distant "He was dead. And it must have just happened because the water hadn't washed away the blood yet."
Hena's hand slowly rose to cover her open mouth. The rest of the Asgardians stared at him, particularly Thor, who looked completely shocked. The Avengers were quieted too.
"I had just seem him play the day before." Loki said, shaking his head ever so slightly.
"Loki, dear heaven. I'm so sorry." Hena said, reaching out to touch his shoulder tenderly.
"Yeah." Loki still looked down. Then, after a brief moment, he looked back up at Hena, a smile barely hidden from his face.
Hena's expression immediately faded to seriousness. She took off her hand.
"You made that up?" she asked sharply, her tone holding complete disbelief as she stared at him.
"It's what I do!" Loki replied innocently, spreading his hands as he finally smiled.
Thor let his tense shoulders fall, lips pressed in irritation as he scowled over. The Warriors were also chagrinned, although all of the men looked vaguely impressed. Hawkeye turned back to the table, taking a drink to cover a chuckle.
"Insensitive, I know." Loki said still grinning. He let out a single laugh "But you were searching for something, so I had to give it to you."
"I hate you so much right now." Hena replied, still stoic with her arms folded "That was not funny, Loki."
"Not even just a little?" he asked, unrepentant.
"No. Skillfully done. But not funny." Hena replied, but her eyes suggested differently.
"Ah, too bad." Loki mused "I'm so sorry. I will do better next time."
"Dear God!" Hena swatted at him, eyes like amused needles "Not funny."
Thank you so much for reading!
These chapters are lighthearted for a reason. Remember them ;)
I have an amazing scene coming up in a few chapters that I know many if you will enjoy. If you enjoy Asgardian family conflict, I think you will find this one entertaining and heart jerking.
Also, I am not one to beg, but I am going to beg. PLEASE REVIEW! ;)