I'm apologize that I have broken my promise of updating every Saturday. My family has since moved houses, and our wifi hasn't been turned on since recently, due to a broken modem and other ailments that was a pain in the ass. I'll try to start updating as usual, the next chapter will most likely be up NEXT week.

I hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas, and will have a happy New Year. :)

And now.. on with the story...

She was in so much trouble. The minute that she had met eyes with Thor, she knew that she was in for it. Even as all the guards slowly stepped away from her in surprise, she couldn't help but grin and mutter 'Ta-da', as though she had just performed some great feat. Everyone in the room simply stared at her in stunned silence.

And now she was being escorted to her chambers, by none other than Thor himself. The gold-haired Prince was silent as they walked, his eyes looking at everything but her. Takumi bit her lip as she walked behind him, biting her lip in shame.

In her defense, she didn't quite have a choice but to use her magic. The Frost Giants were going to kill her, without hesitation and without mercy. The Asgardian soldiers wouldn't have gotten there in time. Maybe she didn't have to go as far as to burn their bodies and stab the remaining Giant in the skull with her dagger, but it was better than being raped and killed.

Still, she knew her actions were going to have a price. The guards were probably telling Odin about her sorcery at this very moment. She feared what punishment would be. Imprisonment? Banishment? Execution? All of the above? None of them sounded compromising.

Thor led her past the gardens, and Takumi couldn't help but wince a little as they passed. She could see where the Frost Giants had stepped, their footprints clearly frozen on the cobblestones. The spirals of frost covering all the plants were still there, the flowers pointing up to the sky, forever trapped that way. There were pieces on the ground, the remnants of the white lily she had picked.

She followed sullenly into the building, fiddling with her bloody dagger. Staring at her hands, she realized how bloody and bruised they looked. Had they looked that way before? She ran her fingernail into the dagger's handle, running over every little bump. Kaisa's dagger had proven itself worthy, she was glad that she had tucked it into her belt before they left Vanaheim.

Thor suddenly stopped and turned the corner, to where Loki's chambers was located. Takumi followed swiftly, absentmindedly switching the blade from hand to hand. When Thor opened the door to let her in, she simply walked in without a word of protest. She quickly tossed the bloody dagger onto the floor and stared out the window, internally cringing when the door shut softly behind them. Her body tensed, preparing itself for the wave of fury that was about to be unleashed.

Instead of hearing a loud roar of anger, she heard a soft, gentle voice.

"How long have you possessed magic, Lady Takumi?"

Takumi slowly turned around, not bothering to show the disbelief on her face.

Thor was standing there, not looking at all like the mighty warrior he usually did. His hammer was placed on the floor away from them, and he was looking at her with large grey eyes that reminded her of a puppy. The way he was standing looked like someone who had just found out their dear lover had died. The Thor she had seen just minutes ago was entirely different.

She had expected anger. She had expected Thor to be furious with her for bringing more magic into Asgard, when it was so clearly forbidden by all the Nine Realms. Perhaps even disgusted at her unladylike behavior. Even Kaisa, someone who rarely got infuriated by anything, would scream at Takumi until her voice gave out. She didn't expect.. curiosity.

Thor walked up to her and put a hand on each shoulder, and gave her a gentle shake. "Did you hear me, Lady Takumi? I asked you how long you have held the possession of magic."

Takumi blinked and opened her mouth to speak. Her throat was suddenly dry. "Ever since I was a small child."

Thor's eyes softened. "I thought that magic was forbidden in Vanaheim."

"It is." Takumi couldn't help but chuckle darkly as she said it. Oh, how glorious would it be if her Father could see what she had done to the Frost Giants. Her magic wasn't so useless now, was it?

"I see. Then why have you practiced it?" Thor was smiling at her gently now, his eyes holding amusement. Takumi raised an eyebrow, suddenly irritated with his gentle reaction. She wasn't used to this.. niceness. She was instantly suspicious of it.

"Because I wanted to." she spat, shrugging Thor off of her. She turned towards the window and crossed her arms tightly over her chest, hiding her bloody hands in the crooks of her elbows. "I thought it was fascinating, so one day I picked up a book and tried it. It wasn't hard, you know. I don't know why everyone makes such a damn deal over it."

Thor didn't say a word.

It suddenly dawned on her that perhaps Thor was going to punish her himself. Perhaps he was going to discipline the traitor with his own hands, using every ounce of his massive strength to beat the rules into her brain, to make sure that she couldn't practice magic ever again. For someone who was about to be crowned king, surely this was a stain on his reputation. Anger suddenly welled in her chest, slowly escaping to the surface.

"You don't think I know exactly what Odin and everyone else will think of me when this has been revealed? They will demand me to be burnt at the stake. I will be humiliated and degraded because of my practice. I will be stoned in public, if not here, than in Vanaheim. I am a disgrace! And if you are to punish me for my crimes, then do so, but you will never break me." She snarled.

The both of them stared silently at each other: Takumi with her fists balled to the sides and Thor looking ridiculously, almost humorously confused. After a few minutes of tense silence, Thor finally spoke.

"You are not a disgrace, Takumi. I am not angry with you in the slightest." Thor smiled at her a little, his mouth gently curving at the corners. "My brother has practiced the same magic. It would be wrong of me to forgive him for his flaws and not you."

Takumi fiddled with her fingers, feeling pathetically relieved and slightly guilty for her angry outburst seconds ago. "But.. did you not see what happened..?"

"You had been defending yourself. I see no wrong in that." Thor's expression darkened a bit as he remembered. "The Frost Giants should not have entered Asgard in the first place. They have broken the treaty between Jotunheim and Asgard. They will be punished. But you will escape any prosecution."

Takumi stared at the bloody dagger on the floor. "Tis no matter. Spell casting is forbidden."

"Perhaps. But I will not allow you to suffer when there is no reason to." Thor gently clasped one of her hands, squeezing them. "Does anyone else know of this?"

Takumi bit her lip anxiously. She pondered fiercely whether she should mention the little helmet incident with Loki. It may have been a couple of weeks, but that didn't mean he forgot. She was still under his little finger, sullenly obeying his every wish and command. Her nights were always lonely, since Loki refused to remain in the chambers with her. And it was all because she couldn't keep her damn curiosity to herself. Takumi stared at Thor and winced, kicking herself.

"No." She said softly, dropping her hands down at her sides. "No one knows. Just you, and the guards who came to the vault."

Thor's expression softened further. "Loki does not know?"

"Loki is clueless. I do not dare tell him, it would tarnish his reputation as a Prince." Takumi gave him an expression of relief, feeling a sigh escape. There was a tiny part of her that felt guilty for lying to Thor. After all, he was the only one who truly accepted her magic as something normal. But it had to be done. She felt the relieved grin on her face start to crack, fading into a strange half smile, half scowl.

And she couldn't help but feel nervous. Despite Thor's kindness against her rebellion, she knew that no one else would find it so amusing. What was going to happen from here?

And what would Kaisa say?

Kaisa was sitting in that dusty room for what felt like ages. She had heard Thor lock the heavyset doors behind him and then the unmistakable sound of something heavy sliding onto the handles, locking her in. She was trapped in that stupid room, with nothing to do but breathe and push around dusty crates of old scrolls.

For the remainder of that time, she had worried to the brink of panic. She had no idea what could've caused Thor such alarm, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. The guards had looked serious. They had spoken of treachery. She fiddled uncomfortably with her dusty dress. Was it Loki?

She wouldn't be surprised if it was, either.

Eventually, she heard the bolts sliding from the door and the handles turning in their gears. She sprung up to her feet and brushed herself off, trying to make herself look a little respectable. With her hands clasped in the front, she put on her best Princess face as the wooden doors creaked open.

To her disappointment, it wasn't Thor, but his guards instead. They looked at her with strict faces, their tiny eyes peering out from underneath their helmets. There was a red smeared across one of the guards' chest armour, with black ash smeared into the small crevices. Kaisa raised an eyebrow but stepped towards them, gracefully walking down the small steps until she was only a couple of feet from them. Without hesitation, the two guards touched their chests and then knelt in front of her.

"Our Lady." one of them said deeply, looking up at her with a grave expression. "We have terrible news to bestow upon you."

Fear skittered up Kaisa's throat like bile. Fighting down her horror, she tried to keep a calm demeanor. "What is it, dear warrior? Has something happened to my Thor?"

The guard shook his head. "No, my Lady. Thor is safe. Tis about your sister, Takumi Vanir."

"What about Takumi?" Kaisa felt her heart plummet into her stomach. This was even worse. Had her little sister tried to prove herself by fighting the enemy, whomever they were? She desperately hoped not. For the Nine Realms- she didn't even have a weapon on her! How could she have defended herself against anything?

"Lady Takumi had been kidnapped by three Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and taken to the weapons vault as hostage." the guard spoke, once again returning his gaze on the ground.

Kaisa gasped, bringing one of her hands up to her mouth in horror. The guard continued, gravely.

"We do not have the faintest idea what had happened during that time, but when we had found her, the bodies of the Frost Giants were scattered around the vault and their blood had been splattered. Your Lady, they had been on fire, which is dangerous and deadly to Frost Giants. I am afraid that Takumi possesses magic."

"Magic?" Kaisa blinked in surprise, and felt her knees start to bend underneath her. She felt the guards clamoring around her, calling for the other to take her the healing room, but she heard none of it. She felt cold. The air around her felt dry and heavy, as though she was trapped in the snowy mountains of Vanaheim.

So, Takumi hadn't given up that filthy habit of practicing magic, after all. Even after Father had screamed at her incessantly and forbade her to practice that witchcraft, stubborn Takumi had continued it unnoticed. And for how long? Kaisa had believed that she had stopped the practice a few centuries ago, when Father had threatened to send her away.

Kaisa blinked back her tears as she felt her shoulders being shaken, and suddenly she was aware that the guards were standing above her with worried expressions on their faces. They gently lifted her into a sitting position.

"Lady Kaisa." the guard said worriedly. "I am sorry if the news upset you."

Kaisa shook her head, some tears spilling down her cheeks. "I.. I am fine."

"We must get you to the healing room at once, my Lady." The other guard spoke gently to her, as though she was a child. She felt her face heat up.

"No. I am fine." She insisted, wiping away tears on her face and feeling absolutely stupid as she did so. There was no point in crying. She straightened up her back and stared at them straight in the eye. "Guards, where is the All-Father?"

"He is in the throne room, amassing the damage that the Giants have caused." The Guards stood straight up as she did, and put a fist over their chests.

"Take me to him." she demanded.

The Guards looked at one another, but they nodded and started out the door. With a disdainful toss of her head, she followed them and closed the heavyset doors behind her. Her hands were clasped over her torso, daintily picking up the dusty silk fabric so she wouldn't step on it. Her heels clicked on the marble floor, echoing down the hall.

Underneath her cool facade, she was furious. How dare her sister go behind her back and do such a horrid thing? Takumi had known that magic was a forbidden thing amongst the realms. Oh, she was downright idiotic! Kaisa was embarrassed to even claim her as her sister.

And what about the marriages? Surely there was going to be no marriage now- now that Takumi had soiled Thor and Loki's reputation as Princes across the entire realm of Asgard.

Kaisa let a small hiss escape her lips as she followed behind the guards. No, there WAS going to be a wedding.

And Takumi was going to learn her lesson this time.

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