"Now, where were you," you asked Loki, his ears turning red.

He quickly adjusted his stance and fiddled with his watch again as he composed himself. "Nowhere important."

"Oh really," you couldn't help but tease him. It had been awhile since you saw him this flustered. "It's must have been somewhat important for you to not pay attention to the woman in front of you."

Loki's eyes stared into yours and the mischievous confidence you were feeling started to retreat. "Oh? Well, wherever I was, you can rest assure that I was paying plenty of attention to the woman in front of me."

Heat spread through your face but you refused to back down. "Is that so?" You stepped towards Loki and began to adjust his tie. "And what is it that you have planned tonight?"

"Enough to keep us busy until morning," Loki whispered closed to you, his lips brushing against the helix of your ear.

You tried to swallow the lump that was forming in your throat and took a step away from Loki, letting go of his tie. You watched Loki walk to the lobby sitting area and pick up a box that was laying on the table. He walked back to you and opened the box to reveal a simple gold chain necklace with an emerald gem encased in a Norse knot design. For a moment you couldn't decided if you wanted to laugh, feeling as if you were acting out a scene in Pretty Woman, or kiss the man in front of you.

Though you knew which one you were leaning towards.

"What do you think," Loki took the necklace from the box and walked behind you.

"It's beautiful," you whispered, feeling the cold metal against your chest that was peaking out from the low cut of the dress bodice. Loki finished putting the necklace and used his hands to push your sleeves down so your shoulders were exposed.

"Yes you are," Loki whispered in you ear again and trailed a hand down your arm as her moved to face you again. He took your hand and wrapped it around his arm and the two of you walked out of the hotel. "I made reservations."

"When did you learn how to do that," your eyes widen, slightly impressed.

"The captain helped me, I must admit," Loki smiled as he guided you down the sidewalk. You walked for a few minutes until coming to a restaurant and Loki held the door opened for you to walk through.

The restaurant was next to the river and the hostess took you and Loki to a table next to a window overlooking the water. Loki pulled out one of the chairs out for you to sit before taking his own. The hostess gave Loki the menu and stayed a moment longer than you wanted.

"She totally has a crush on you," you teased Loki as you sharpened your sword in the library.

"What?" Loki looked up from his book to stare at you in disbelief. "Why?"

"Maybe because you're a prince," you teased. "It's not hard to see the the appeal."

"But she's just a maid," Loki tried to reason.

"And I'm just a guard," you retorted. "Do you really care about status, Prince Loki?"

"Wha-? No! I-I mean," Loki stumbled over his words and you couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed with what he said. You were thirteen when you realized you had feelings for the young trickster, but he never seemed to notice. Now, two years after the realization, and he still hasn't noticed you.

"Excuse me, your highness."

Speak of the devil.

The young maid walked into the library and Loki stuffed his face back into his book. She was carrying a tray of food for Loki, conveniently forgetting that you were in the library as well.

"Thank you," Loki spoke from behind his book. "You can place it on the table."

The maid placed the tray on an empty area of the table he was at and stood for a moment longer than you wanted her too.

"Is there something wrong," you asked, letting your sharpening stone slide down your blade.

"No," the maid twisted her hand, keeping her eyes on Loki. "I-I-"

"Spit it out," you growled and the maid turned and glared at you a moment before turning back to the prince. You would have cut her down for her disrespect but instead jumped out of the nook you were sitting in and walked towards the library door. "I will retire to my quarters, your majesty. Enjoy your evening."

"You're leaving," you heard wood scrape across the floor. You turned to see Loki staring at you, almost begging you not to leave.

"If his highness permits it," you said, keeping a hand on the door. You glanced at the maid who continued to glare at you.

"I do not," Loki stated firmly and your eyes snapped back to him, resolve in his eyes. You let go of the door and walked back to your nook, Loki sitting back in his seat. You gave the maid a sneer of superiority and went back to sharpening your blade.

You couldn't seem to get rid of the smile that found its way to your lips.

"Y/N," your focus returned to the man sitting across from you. "Where were you this time?"

You glanced around and noticed the hostess was back at the front of the restaurant, occasionally glancing back at your table. Loki had his menu open and you picked yours up and began to scan it.

"Y/N?" Loki placed a hand on yours, forcing you to close the menu. He let go of your hand to take your chin in his and tilt your head, forcing you to looking into his eyes. "Where were you?"

"The library on Asgard," you answered truthfully.

"Was I there," Loki asked, letting your chin go.

"I-" you wanted to tell him everything. You wanted to tell him about every interaction. Every touch. Every word. Everything. But would that be what's best for him? What if you tell him and he doesn't feel the same as he did then? What if everything he had been doing was a façade to get you to play his game? Would you be able to bear that kind of pain again?

But maybe you could still trust him. . .

"You we-"

"Good evening you two," the waitress came up to the table and you immediately brought the menu up to cover your face. You were sure it was going to melt right off of your skull. "My name is Anat and I'll be your waitress this evening. What can I get you to drink?"

You kept quiet and hear Loki speak in the area's native language. "We'll have two glasses of your finest wine, thank you."

"Oh," Anat's eyes widen with surprise and continued in her native tongue. "You speak as if you grew up here?"

"I've just been traveling quite a bit," Loki laughed, his hand taking yours from the menu you were holding. You lifted your eyes above the menu and watched him speak with the waitress.

"I wasn't going to ask this-" Anat looked towards the front of the restaurant and back at Loki. "But would I recognize you from somewhere. The hostess, Sara, she told me you were some kind of celebrity."

"What if I told you I was the prince of a far away land," Loki winked at Anat and squeezed his hand in warning. Loki squeezed it back and used his thumb to trace your knuckles.

Anat laughed, "I wouldn't be surprised. I'll be back with your drinks."

Anat walked away and Loki turned back to you. You pulled the menu over your eyes again and pretended you were very intrigued with the menu. Loki took his hand out of yours and as a pang of disappointment began to form, the menu flew out of your hand. You pulled back in surprised as Loki placed the menu on top of his and used his elbows to keep it in place.

"Now I can see you," Loki's lips tilted up with a hint of mischief. "So you were telling me about our time in the library of Asgard."

"Our time," your eyes widen slightly, wondering if he remembered anything.

"You knew my brother and grew up with him. It would stand to reason that we knew each other. So tell me." Loki leaned forward to take your hand in his. "Tell me why I don't remember you."

You stared at his hand holding yours and took a deep breathe and began your story. You kept your eyes on the your hand in Loki as you explained how your parents wanted their daughter to marry into the royal family and so you were sent to live in the palace from a young age. You were unaware of this plan in the beginning since you were to young to understand. Since there were not many children in the palace, the three of you had grouped together and ended up becoming friends. You spoke of when you were playing warriors with the two princes and ended up catching the eyes of the Commander and was given a mentor and started training to become a palace guard. You paused your storytelling long enough for Loki to order for the both of you, since you had lost your appetite. You spoke of all the times in the library, chasing after him when Thor teased Loki to a breaking point, learning magic with him, and all the pranks played on Thor. You tried to keep the relationship you two shared out of your story-telling, you didn't want him to feel like he owed you anything or, worst case scenario, use it against you.

"All these years," Loki's thumb rubbing against your knuckles. "How could I forget?"

"There was an attack," you took a sip of wine and continued the memory.

It had been raining heavy for several days on Asgard and you were becoming insane having to spend so much time indoors.

"When will this blasted rain let up," you sighed, resting your head on Loki's lap as he read in your nook. It had been a week since you became a full-fledge palace guard and assigned to be Loki's personal guard.

"Why are you so impatient," Loki's hand found your cheek and began stroking it. "It wouldn't be the first time it's poured like this."

"But this weather is making stir-crazy," you complained, turning so you could kiss his hand. "I'm bored."

"I can think of something to do," Loki closed his book and turned his full attention to you. He moved his legs out from under you head and moved so we was above you.

"I like the way you think," you smiled, your arms wrapping around his neck and brought his lips to yours. He bodyweight pushed on you as he pressed your legs apart with his knee. Loki's tongue flicked against your lip, asking for entrance and you welcomed him in. Your tongues began to dance together, deepening the kiss, while Loki's hand found the hem or your shirt. Your hands left his neck and found the hem of his shirt.

"So what happened while we were in the library," Loki pulled you away from the memory you lost yourself in. Heat filled your cheeks and you cough slightly before continuing.

As you and Loki fondled each other until you felt a presence enter the library. You pulled away, grabbing your sword, and pushed Loki behind you.

"I don't think I'm into knife play, love," Loki began placing kisses on your bare back and you shushed him.

"There's someone here," you whispered, reaching for your shirt and pulling it over, switching your sword to your other hand as you did.

"I didn't hear the door open," Loki whispered, pulling on his own shirt.

"Exactly," you stepped out of the nook and scanned the bookshelves trying to pinpoint the presence. After awhile you could sense anything and concluded your mind was playing tricks on you.

You dropped your shoulders and turned back to Loki, the mood now ruined by your own paranoia. Loki gave a comforting smile and stepped out of the nook. "Let us leave here before you go completely insane."

You laughed and sheathed you blade and walked with Loki towards the library doors. Loki began to open the door when you felt the presence again and turned, expecting not to see anything.

Instead a man standing between two bookshelves with a dagger in his hand. Your pushed Loki out the door and pulled the sword from its sheath as the man rushed you. You were taken off guard and was slammed against the doors, shutting Loki out of the room.

"Y/N," Loki banged against the doors, trying to get in. "You! Open these doors at one. There is an assassin."

You pushed the man off of you and lunged at him, ducking as he swung his dagger and slicing you sword up and cutting his arm.

"What are you doing!" You heard Loki shout to someone outside and your blood turned out. You heard shuffling and thuds muffled behind the door.

There were two.

The one man in front of you smiled widely and kicked you square in the gut, making you fall back a couple steps. You clutch your stomach for a second trying to get air back in your lungs and barely got your sword up as the man thrusted the dagger at you. You heard Loki yelp in pain and kicked the man's knee, causing him to lurch forward, and turned to run to the door.

You pulled the door handle, but before you could open it wide enough, the man grabbed your neck and pulled you back.

"Let's give them some privacy," the man growled in your ear and anger filled your body.

"Like you did for us," you sneered and let the anger burn throughout your body, Loki's yells fanning the flames.

"The fuck," the man hissed in pain, his hand red as if he held a red hot iron right out of the forge. "You know magic."

"That's not all," you picked up your sword and charged, the heat turned to cold as you feint right and ran left. The man turned right and began scanning for you.

"Where the fuck did she go," the man cursed, his eyes passing over you, not seeing you.

You put yourself behind the man and as you dropped your glamour, you thrusted the sword deep into the man's neck. Blood poured out of the wound as you managed to slice his spine and he fell to the ground. He winced once and the life faded from his eyes. You turned from the body and ran to the door.

You threw it open to see the second assassin thrust his dagger into Loki's side. You grabbed the assassin, throwing them off of Loki and down the hall. The assassin was caught off guard and looked back to see you standing over him, blood spattered over your face. In one movement, you sank your blade into the assassin and waited for them to go limp. You left the sword protruding from the corpse and turned to see Loki fall to the marble floor.

"Loki?" you slid next to Loki, blood rushing from multiple wounds on his body. "You're going to be okay. You gotta be okay."

"Y/N?" a young Loki looked up to you, barely able to open his eyes. His voice sounded so weak and distant.

"Shh," you pressed your hand on one of the worst wounds, magic spreading to stop the bleeding. "You're going to be okay."

Loki's eyes fluttered shut and the hand he tried lifting fell back to the ground.

"Lo?" Your hand moved to his cheek, he felt cold. "Loki? . . . Loki!"

"The palace guards showed up a few moments later and took you to the healers while I was taken to the dungeons," you finished your story, pouring the rest of the wine into your mouth.