Hi! How y'all doing?

I hope you've forgiven me a tiny bit for making you wait so long?

No...

Really no?

Sorry...

But I have a new chapter for you! So without further ado... ENJOY!

Chapter 61

Loki silently followed Jane and Frigga back to their chambers. Thor would be back soon. The morning meetings never took too long. Loki's hopes on teaching Frigga without Thor's presence faded. Not that he was meaning on teaching her anything dangerous, he just didn't like snoopers while he was teaching.

Jane opened the door and was greeted by her husband who clearly had just arrived himself. He smiled, but when he spotted Loki in the back, he frowned.

"I thought you were teaching…"

"Something came up!" Loki interrupted. "But I'll start now, if that's all right with you!"

Thor noticed his brother's frustration and figured it had something to do with the awful state he seemed to be in, but he wisely decided not to ask any further. He'd just had an terribly boring meeting and lots of useless discussions with his father and the Lords.

"Fine with me…," he answered with a smile.

"Great!" Frigga shouted enthusiastically. She grabbed Loki's hand and pulled him towards her room. Inside she found Prince, excitedly playing with an old blanket she'd found for him. When he saw the duo enter, he barked and immediately jumped up Loki's legs. But Loki was distracted. He'd just realised he would have to choose between the living room with Thor watching or this pink, princess themed bedroom to teach his first lesson.

Perhaps Frigga would feel best when her parents weren't watching and when she was in her own environment, so Loki forced himself to sit down on the bed.

"All right!" he said with all the excitement he could master while trying to keep Prince from devouring his face. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Frigga nodded. Her face was coloured bright pink and her eyes shone with more excitement than ever before. With shaking hands she took Loki's book of spells which he'd given her for her birthday and walked over to the bed. She handed Loki the book and crawled on top of the bed, next to Loki. Prince cuddled her side and barked shortly.

"I practised a bit while you were gone!" she immediately said. "But it was a bit hard sometimes."

Loki smiled. "Well, why don't you show me what your practised?" he kindly asked.

Frigga turned sad. "I… errr… I'm a bit scared. After what happened two nights ago…"

Loki's smile faded. Frigga pulled her legs close to her body.

"I don't understand… When I practise, nothing seems to work, but when I'm not paying attention, things just happen."

Loki nodded. He'd been thinking about that as well. Normally you at least had to learn how to use the energy in the air to create magic before unplanned outbursts like Frigga's took place. Loki had had a few of those in the past himself and even now he sometimes found himself wielding magic when he was particularly angry.

With a look of pity imprinted on his face, Loki answered: "I have to be honest, Frigga. I don't understand either, but it's clear that you do have great power in you. All you need to do is learn how to use it. And that's why I'm here."

Frigga smiled, but the normal sparkle in her eyes had dimmed. She didn't seem so sure about it.

Loki licked his lips. Frigga would need a bit of encouraging this time. "Now," he started. "As you know, I can't wield magic myself for the time being, so I won't be able to demonstrate that much, but I will help you where I can."

Frigga nodded again. This wasn't really helping.

Loki turned silent for a couple of seconds and tried to get an idea of just how far he could take the little girl before she'd lose faith in her abilities.

"I know you're afraid, Frigga," he said after a while. "But I assure you that there's nothing to be scared of! In fact…"

Loki mysteriously bowed forward until their eyes were on the same level. "I have never seen anyone use such white and pure magic as yourself. You won't hurt anyone, as long as you listen to me."

Frigga bit her lip and looked down at her wolf cub at her feet. Prince stared back and for a second the duo seemed to have a silent conversation. Finally Frigga locked her eyes back on Loki. "Okay…," she nervously whispered. Loki smiled and moved back a little.

"All right!" he exclaimed. "Now that we are ready to take up our lessons again, I would really like you to show me what you've practised."

Frigga frowned, but after another encouraging smile of her uncle she took the heavy book in her lap and skimmed through the first pages until she hit upon the lesson where Loki had left of, all those weeks ago. It was one of the very first lessons in the book and it went over the basic steps of creating a ball of energy using the natural energy in the air.

The young girl cleared her throat and took a deep breath while she feverishly tried to remember the steps of extracting Energy from the air and using it as your own magic.

Step one… she thought. Relax!

Step two. Concentrate on what you want to create and picture it in your mind!

Step three. Clear your mind and only focus on the air around you!

Step four. Once you sense the Energy flowing through your body, capture it.

Step five. Force it back out.

Frigga's palms felt sweaty and her heart was beating fast, but nonetheless, she tried to relax.

"Try to think of something you like to do," Loki's soft voice sounded in her ears.

Horseback riding! Frigga immediately thought. She closed her eyes and thought of how she felt when she was riding Lyn over the green fields of Asgard behind the palace. Or when she galloped through the streets, hearing the rhythmic sounds of Lyn's hooves on the street. The wind in her hair, the sun on her face… She felt as if she could fly.

Gradually, Frigga felt her nerves come to a rest.

Now concentrate! she thought. Frigga thought of the few times Loki had showed her how to make a ball of energy. It always seemed so easy when he did it. But that was where she wanted to go: a big shining ball of light in the palm of her hands!

Frigga swallowed and focused on her breathing. Slowly the sounds around her died. This had always been the hardest part for her. She had no idea of what the energy would feel like, so how was she supposed to find it around her?

Flowing energy… she thought. Perhaps it felt a bit like her own magic. Frigga tried to recall the memories of when she wielded magic without even realising it. It had always felt like some sort of static electricity in the air. But above all it felt warm like a blanket and it made her feel more safe and secure, more powerful than ever before.

Frigga tried to search the air for that familiar feeling. At one point she felt a slight tickling sensation on her skin. She concentrated. There it was again. It was weak, but definitely there. The young princess took a deep breath and focused with all her might. In her mind she pictured a swirling ball of energy growing inside of her. The tickling sensation intensified until she almost felt ill. Frigga opened her eyes and forced all the energy in her body to her hands. She held her hands a few centimetres away from one another and squinted her eyes. With the tip of her tongue peeking between her lips she gave it on last try to force out the energy. A soft silver light lit up between her palms it flickered a few times and then started growing until it was the size of a ping pong ball. The silver light intensified, but just when Frigga smiled at her work, the light went out, just as fast as it had come.

The young girl's face turned sad. "That always happens!" she said. "I just can't do it."

Loki cast a meaningful glare on the girl in front of him, but Frigga only scowled.

"If I'm not mistaken," Loki said. "That light is already a lot stronger and bigger than last time you showed me. Magic is not a picnic, Frigga. It needs time…"

"But I've been practising for so long!" Frigga threw back.

"It will come in the end, Frigga. You just have to let go of fear," Loki answered with a kind smile, but Frigga didn't seem to buy it. With a quick hand she closed the book and put her head on her knees. Tears of anger shone in her bright eyes. All the excitement she'd felt had faded. She didn't even understand why she had been looking forward to this.

"Can't you teach me anything else?" she asked harshly. Loki sighed. This lesson was the absolute basics. Any other kind of spell started with this, but he wisely decided not to mention that.

"What would you like to learn?" he asked, even though he knew she probably wouldn't be capable of doing what she desired.

Frigga raised her shoulder. "I don't know…," she said. "Something cool…"

Loki smiled. His mind was working at a hundred miles an hour. He needed to find something to give Frigga new hope on mastering magic. The problem was that, since he couldn't use magic himself, he couldn't fake a result as well… Unless…

"I know something we could try…," Loki said with a mysterious smile. Frigga frowned, not able to hide her curiosity.

Loki waited a few more seconds before continuing. "To force the energy out of your body can be a real task…" he said. "Which is why we'll try to just let it flow from one body to the next."

Frigga's frown grew deeper. She didn't fully understand, so Loki took her hand.

"What I want you to do is to follow the same steps as you would to create a ball of energy. This time however, you're just going to let the energy flow into my hand."

Frigga stayed silent for a while. "But how will I now it works?" she asked.

"I'll tell you!" Loki answered with a smile.

Frigga smirked. "That's not fair!" she said angrily. "You could just say you feel it, but it could be a lie!"

Loki wanted to sigh. Why wasn't Frigga like any other six year old? He only had one final card to play.

"You know, Frigga. The reason I ask you to do this is because I know you can do it."

Frigga rolled her eyes and looked away, but Loki took her face in his hands and forced her to look at her. He wasn't lying this time.

"You did it when I came back. You hugged me and while you did I felt all my pain fade and you filled me with a wonderful warm feeling."

Frigga blinked confusedly. Loki could sense her wall of disbelief was starting to break. All Frigga ever wanted was to take care of her family and friends and make them proud, so Loki added to his story.

"I know strong magic when I see it Frigga and you are something very special. Don't forget that."

Frigga softly smiled, but her smile grew until she laughed and crawled closer for a hug. Loki could only smile. He almost started to sound like his mother.

-xxx-

On his way back to his chambers in the early afternoon, Loki couldn't keep himself from smiling. Even the few scared and angry glares he got from certain guards or servants couldn't ruin his good mood. Frigga had tried for hours and hours to channel some of the energy into Loki's hand. The first few times it hadn't worked at all, just as Loki expected, but he'd kept encouraging her. Just when he sensed his niece was starting to grow impatient and scared, he faked his first "sense" of magic in his hand. He wasn't sure Frigga had believed it, since it came quite convenient, but it certainly helped in her next attempts. Loki faked a few times after that, until he suddenly felt a short sparkle of warm energy in his palm. It came so quickly that Loki couldn't help but act genuinely surprised, causing Frigga to cheer in excitement. Even though it still wasn't much, from that moment on, Loki had often felt a bit of energy flow into his hand. It felt just as amazing as he remembered and for a while he even forgot about the horrid feeling that was torturing his body. Even now, Loki ignored his pounding headache and sore throat.

Only when he reached his chambers, Loki's mood was put to the test. A group of guards just leave his chambers. When they spotted him, they all put an emotionless expression on their faces. The leader of the group was none other than Lord Atlas himself. The old man stepped closer.

Emotionless he turned to Loki. "Your chambers have been inspected, my lord," he informed him.

Loki threw him a sour look. "Did you find my hidden army of dust clouds, Lord Atlas?" he asked.

Lord Atlas' jaw clenched, but he didn't answer. With one final meaningful glare on Loki he turned around and left with the group of guards in his wake. Loki watched them until they disappeared around the corner. These inspections would be a lot harder than he initially expected. Trying to focus on Frigga, he entered his chambers and closed the door behind him. Inside he faced the bloodcurdling sight of his chambers being messed up once more. The guards didn't take anything this time, but apparently they didn't think it necessary to clean up their own mess. Loki's eyes scanned the room. It almost seemed as if a storm a blown through it. His chars lay on their back, his sheets we spread over the ground and the few books he still owned were scattered across the room.

Loki took a deep breath. The peaceful bliss the morning lesson had created, slowly faded and Loki was reminded of just how pathetically bad he felt. While his headache grew to full strength once more, he angrily started cleaning up his chambers as much as possible. After what seemed like hours he finally fell back on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to ignore his aching body. His eyes were so heavy.

Just a few minutes… Loki thought.

A sudden knock on the door drew Loki back to the surface of the dark pool he'd sunk into. Strangely enough the light seemed a lot dimmer than when he'd closed his eyes.

With a soft moan Loki set up straight. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. The sun was already low at the horizon. Loki frowned. He'd slept for hours! Was this because of that stupid flu?

Again a knock sounded on his door. Loki sighed and dragged himself to the door. He wasn't in the mood for company. However, at the other side of the door stood none other than his niece, smiling like a child on Christmas morning.

"Loki!" she cried excitedly, just a tiny bit too loud for Loki's headache to handle. "I want to show you something!"

Loki forced a smile on his face. Although he was really happy to see her, he actually only felt like sleeping at the moment. But who could withstand such a big and gorgeous smile?

Frigga rushed inside and eagerly waited for Loki to close the door again.

"I practised a bit more! Look what I can do!" Frigga continued enthusiastically. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Then she opened her eyes again, cupped her hands and with the tip of her tongue peeking between her lips she focused on her hands. Loki raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms while his back rested again the wood of his door. He patiently waited. After a few silent moments a soft light started to flicker in Frigga's hands. The light grew to the size of a small tennis ball and stabilised until it silently danced over Frigga skin.

The little girl looked up from her hands and smiled. Loki could barely believe his eyes. Only that very morning Frigga had struggled to produce only half the light she was holding now. Now it seemed like child's play. The soft silver glow spread through the room.

Loki quietly stepped closer towards his niece, his eyes never leaving the calming sight of the glowing wonder in her hands.

Frigga's smile slightly faded. Loki's silence made her feel uneasy. But then, finally, a soft smile appeared on her uncle's lips. The look in his eyes however was new to her. Frigga could only describe it as surprise.

"That's… that's really good, Frigga…," Loki heard himself stammer. Really good? he thought. "I mean that's astounding…," he continued, while the uncontrollable desire to start laughing filled his being. For some reason, seeing Frigga making this much of a progress, even when he couldn't even teach her properly, made him happier than ever before.

Frigga smiled, full of pride. But just like that her smile slightly faded and sadness crossed her face.

"It mustn't be easy for you without your magic…," she said with eyes full of pity. "I'm very sorry Odin took it away from you… I really wish I could give it back to you."

Loki's happiness was transformed into a big lump in his throat. Any other person who had dared to rub in his lack of magic would have suffered greatly, but Frigga honestly seemed to mean every word she was saying.

"Odin isn't a very nice man!" Frigga continued while a deep frown appeared on her face. She stared into the light of the ball in her hands. The sun and had now fully vanished behind the horizon and the silver glow was the only light in Loki's chambers. It lit up Frigga's frowning face and made her seem way to old and scarred. Her frown dissolved in the shadows dancing over her young face while soft tears glistened under her eyes.

"But things will be alright!" she continued with a watery smile. "You'll get your magic back and Odin will see the truth in time!"

Loki only wanted to believe her words, but his common sense thought otherwise. Yet Frigga didn't let her hope be destroyed by Loki's pained expression. "You'll see!" she said with a smile. "We'll be one family again in the end!"

With that said Frigga switched her ball of energy to one hand and reached for Loki's right hand. Loki bend over and Frigga carefully let the ball of energy slip into Loki's palm. The light flickered and dimmed a bit, but it didn't fade. Even though the magic was weak, Loki could feel the energy infiltrate the skin of his palm and fill his being with a secure and warm feeling.

"There you go…," Frigga whispered before softly planting a kiss on Loki's pale cheek. The little girl smiled, cast one final look on the shrinking ball of light in Loki's palm and silently left the room. Only when the door fell shut the light in Loki's palm vanished in the air.

For minutes he just stared into the darkness, wondering why Frigga's words had had so much effect on him. Only then Loki realised he was crying silent tears. Why he was crying, he didn't know. Perhaps he missed his magic, perhaps he had lost all hope to regain what once had been his. Or perhaps he'd just realised that Frigga wanted only one thing: a family which she could call hers. That one thing she'd missed for so long without even realising it. The one thing that Loki had destroyed with no way of repairing the damage he'd done.

A bit short and a bit sad, I know... but things will get better... eventually (muahahahaha)

I hope you like it! Leave a review!

See you soon!

Rumple x