The day moved on without much notice from Taylor and Loki. They were lost in their own little word in that garden; Taylor's sketch pad, Loki's magic. It was truly a beautiful day, and they were enjoying themselves in the garden. But the day would soon end, as Loki was needed in the throne room again.

"Do you really have to go, Loki?" Taylor asked as the neared the exit door of the garden.

"Unfortunately, yes." He replied softly, turning his emerald gaze to her. "Meet me here tonight?" The mischievous glint had returned to his eyes, causing butterflies in the young girl's stomach to take flight. She nodded, cerise cheeks moving upwards into a smile.

"Of course," And with that, she leaned up and softly pressed her ruby lips to his. Her eyelids fluttered closed. This was pure bliss, it had to be. Loki felt it, too, but the moment would only last a brief moment, as Loki's name was bellowed from somewhere inside the castle.

"I must go before the come looking for me… But I will see you again, Taylor. I swear it." He turned and ran back to the castle, leaving the Midgardian alone again.

"Well… At least I still have my necklace." She reached up with a sigh, nimble fingers curling around the golden trinket that lay on her chest. Taylor's mother had given her the necklace just before she died, so it was her most cherished possession. And it just so happened to be the only thing she had, aside from her sketchpad and jacket, when she found her way to Asgard. Taylor wandered around the castle grounds for hours. The warm sunlight and gentle breeze felt good against her skin. She had just discovered a large, golden horse stable, when the dinner bell sounded across the yard. "Crap…" She mumbled to herself, quickly snapping a picture with her cell phone. She would show the photo to Loki later.

Guards with strange, horned, and golden helmets stopped her at the dining room door, attempting to explain that unless she was part of the royal family, the young girl would not be allowed inside. Taylor protested, begging to be let inside. Loki had invited her to dinner while she was sketching earlier, but they didn't believe her. Just as the guards were about to drag her away, a familiar voice stopped them. Loki had seen the arguing, and come to her rescue. Again.

"Let her go." He demanded, the look on his face made it clear that there was to be no arguing.

"Yes, Prince Loki." The men released her, quickly returning to their posts.

"Thanks…"

"You're lucky I saw you… Come. The food's getting cold." He smiled and led her back to the golden dining room table, motioning for her to sit beside him. After sitting, a servant brought her a plate of food and a glass of water. Everything here seemed to be made of gold; even the eating utensils. Taylor began eating quietly. All eyes were on her, and it made her uncomfortable. Finally, Loki decided to say something.

"Lady Stark is lost in our realm, so I invited her to dinner." Loki's father, Odin, nodded once, keeping his one eye on the fragile looking mortal.

"How very nice of you, dear." Frigga, Odin's wife, said quietly. She rarely spoke unless called upon, but today she thought the need to speak up.

"Taylor is an artist," Loki said proudly. On Asgard, being an artist was a rare talent; a highly praised one.

"Is she really? That is lovely!" Frigga smiled at Taylor, who was now blushing up a storm.

"Thanks…" she spoke quietly.

After dinner, the servants removed the plates and replaced them with bowls of the most magnificent cakes Taylor had ever seen. Though only a small piece was placed at each person's place, each one told a story. Thor's had a Bildgesnipe battle painted atop it, Frigga's a garden with multicolored flowers made of icing adorning the top and sides. Loki's had a snake painted on it, along with a wolf and an eight legged horse. Odin's was a simple, golden scepter. Taylor Stark's piece was the most unique of all. The cook had painted a waterfall, with blue and green hued water pouring from it. Her ocean eyes studied the cake for what seemed like an eternity. When Thor shattered his glass bowl on the floor to signal for another piece, she finally began to eat it. The cake was unlike anything she'd ever tasted before. Each bite sent her over the rainbow and back; it was that good. The server brought Thor another piece, this time decorated with a lightning storm. Taylor savored each bite of her food, finishing long after everyone else. Once the table was cleared of everything, Odin stood up, and left the table, followed by Frigga. This left Thor, Loki and Taylor alone at the table. Thor kept staring at Taylor, her unique ocean eyes nearly impossible to look away from.

"Tell me, Lady Stark. How did you find Asgard?" Thor asked. Loki looked at her, also curious to her answer.

"Uhm…" She began quietly, pushing golden trusses of hair behind her ear. "I was walking in the park and I heard this…sucking sound. I went in towards it and I got sucked into some weird purple tornado thing. Next thing I know you're pulling me out of a pond."

"That sounds like teleportation magic!" Loki said excitedly, causing Thor even more confusion.

"Brother, how could she have done magic if she is but a mere mortal?"

"She didn't. But someone did." Taylor was the confused one now, and lifted her hand, silencing the two.

"Someone sent me here?" She asked, brows furrowing.

"Perhaps," replied Loki, his voice was quiet and his eyes distant; as if he were trying to think of who had sent her to them. This only confused her more. Why would someone send her here?

Another bell chimed, this time signaling for the dining room to be cleared. The three of them all stood at once.

"Goodnight brother, Lady Stark." Thor nodded at his brother and the blonde before sauntering off down the hall. Once he was out of earshot, Loki turned to Taylor.

"The garden, five minutes."

"Deal," Taylor leaned up and kissed the god's cheek before scurrying out of the room and towards the garden.

The night had quickly grown cold again, leaving Taylor shivering as she walked through the green maze. It was October on Earth, so that might explain the coolness in the air. But she still didn't like it. None the less, she found her way to Loki, smiling happily as she ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"Miss me much?" Taylor asked, laughing slightly.

"More than I should," came Loki's velvety reply.

"Loki…" Taylor shook her head, smiling up at him.

"Yes?"

"What's this?" She pulled out her cellphone and showed him the photo of the stables. Having never seen a cellphone before, Loki's eyes widened, his head tilting at the strange Midgardian device. He didn't answer Taylor's question at first, but eventually he returned to reality, blinking to clear his vision.

"The stables, love… what in the Nine Realms are you holding?" He poked the screen, which made a quiet bubble sound.

"My cell phone?" She asked, chuckling. "It's a communication device." She smiled sweetly.

"Cell phone?" He repeated quietly. "Is it made of cells of some kind?"

"Uhm… I don't know." She put her phone away, "Can we go to the stables? I love horses."

"I'm afraid not… Father is there now, and he isn't exactly fond of mortals…"

"Oh…" She frowned, looking down the ground as she crossed her arms.

"I have a better idea," Loki said quietly, using his index finger to tilt her head upwards so he could look into her eyes.

"…What is it?" She asked, grinning.

"Hold on," and with that, Loki teleported them out of the garden.

Light flashed before Taylor's eyes as she was teleported away from the garden with Loki. She squeezed them shut, but still the light was able to penetrate the darkness. Then, suddenly, it was gone. Keeping her eyes closed, she let out a small breath to calm herself. She could hear the sound of rushing water. It was very close. Loki had his arms wrapped firmly around her as he steadied her.

"Taylor…Open your eyes, love." He spoke quietly as not to alarm her.

She slowly opened her eyes, but light spots still danced before them and made her dizzy, causing her to sway slightly.

"..What…the…" she breathed heavily, gripping Loki's shoulders as she squeezed her ocean eyes shut again. The light spots slowly faded, as did her dizziness. Only then did she dare open her eyes again. What she saw took her breath away. A waterfall, like the one from cake, was right in front of her. Its water was blue and green hued, and the pool it poured into seemed to shimmer beneath the pale moonlight. It looked like something out of a fairytale.

"You seemed to like the other one so much; I thought I would show you the real thing." Loki smiled down at the blonde, who turned her eyes up to his.

"It's…wow." Was all she could get out, before looking back at the waterfall. Loki led her to the water's edge so that she could look down at her reflection in the water, which resembled glass it was so smooth. In the water was her own reflection, and beside her was the god of mischief.

"The water is said to show you who you truly are." Loki whispered as she pulled away from him and bent down to closer examine the reflection.

It showed he just as she was, and strangely, she liked it that way. It was Loki's reflection that bothered her. His showed a bluish tint to his pale skin, and his eyes shown red as blood. She took in a sharp breath and immediately stood up. This caused Loki to frown, worry tinting his features.

"What's wrong, Taylor?"

"N- Nothing…" she stammered, turning her back to the pond. "I got cold..." When Loki started to remove his jacket for her, she shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing around. "No, I'm ok. I got a chill, kay?" She offered him a small smile, and he slid his jacket back on.

"All right… But if you get cold, please tell me."

Taylor nodded, and turned back around to face the waterfall. It really was something magical…

Hours passed, and Taylor and Loki were now lying on the grass staring up at the star filled sky. She was wrapped in the god's coat, and his arms were wrapped around her protectively.

"So…" Taylor mumbled sleepily into his shoulder, her eyes closed. She had been falling asleep, and was desperately trying to stay awake.

"So…what?"

"So… I don't know…"

Loki smiled softly at her tires ramblings, and gently brushed back her hair.

"Would you like me to return you to your room?"

A small nod, followed by a yawn was her only response. Loki stood up, lifting her with him.

"I'm going to teleport us again," he warned; another nod. In a swirling light, the two of them were back in her bedroom again. He gently laid her on the bed, snapping his fingers and placing the cover over her. He leaned down and softly kissed her temple, whispering over said spot. "Goodnight, Taylor."

She nuzzled into the pillow as sleep overtook her, but she heard what he had said, and it caused a small smile to blossom over lips.

Loki stepped away from the bed and teleported back to his own room. Here he undressed, and redressed in simpler clothing for much needed sleep. He had no idea how he would be able to get up in just a few hours for more rehearing of his idiot brother's coronation, but somehow, he would.

Taylor slept in late the next morning, and she could tell by the way her stomach growled. It was what had woken her up. With a tired groan, she rolled out of bed and to her feet. She yawned, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror; she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. She ran her small hand through her sea of blonde curls, and then pulled a breath mint from her pocket. If she didn't have a way to brush her teeth, she would at least have mint smelling breath.

Meanwhile in the throne room Loki was struggling to keep his eyes open. With a grand total of three hours' sleep, the god was exhausted. He had fallen asleep twice while his father bellowed instructions, and now he was about to do so a third time, when a familiar voice broke his drowsy thoughts.