8/9 years old.
Kari was sat on the grass just inside the Asgardian forest with a small basket of berries she had just picked and her book open in front of her. The trees around her were sparse, a few every meter or so. The ground was a mixture of grass and moss, and it was much cooler in the forest than it was in town. She was in the forest just enough to be sheltered from view of her carers and the other children.
The book in front of her was about edible fruits and plants and their healing compounds, she was busy closely comparing the picture on the page with the berry in her hand. She just took a bite when she was interrupted.
"Should you be eating that?" came a young boys voice and she turned around in surprise.
The boy was her age, his eyes a bright shade of green, his hair short and black. He was standing by a tree eying her curiously. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his pants.
"I am just following the pictures." She shrugged after looking around to see where the voice came. She didn't recognize the boy but he looked only slightly older than her.
"And if you poison yourself, are there pictures for that too?" he asked sitting by her looking from the berries to her book.
She watched him join her before shrugging again, "Well there is a recipe for the antidotes."
"Which one have you tried?" he asked picking a berry from the basket.
"These are just fruits, wild and red berries, pretty simple."
"If I get poisoned then you'll have to answer to my parents." he said turning the book around to face him as he inspected the berry.
She watched him, "Well, you don't have to eat them."
He laughed looking from the berry to her, "What is your name?"
"Kari." she smiled, "What is yours?"
"You don't know me?" he asked in surprise.
"No, sorry, I do not." she said suddenly worried looking down at her book.
"I am Loki." he said simply.
She looked up from her book meeting his eyes, "Prince Loki?" she asked slowly.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, we aren't tutored about the Royal family till we are older."
"It is fine." he shrugged, eyeing the berries again.
"I definitely don't think you should eat any then." she said with a smile.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked picking at the grass they sat on.
"We get some time to play outside each week, some times I manage to sneak in her without them seeing so that I can explore." She said eating a berry.
"Who are /they/? Your siblings?" he asked also eating a berry.
"No I am an orphan, I mean the other children and our carers."
"Oh" and he nodded, "And your parents?"
"As far as I am aware, my father was fighting and my mother was working in town, both killed in battle, with the Jhotenheim."
"I am sorry." he said sounding sincere but looking as if he was unsure what to say now.
"That's okay, but thank you" she smiled, "Are you allowed to be out here, um, your highness?" the last few words fell from her uncertainly, not wishing to cause trouble by disrespected the Prince."
"Hm, I suppose I shouldn't but I am also hiding." he nodded, "And you call me Loki."
"Really?" she asked in surprise watching him eat another berry. "Why are you hiding?"
"The bookmaker won't sell me any magic books so I played some jokes that his books had already taught me. Let us say that he isn't too fond of me." Loki smirked at her as she laughed.
"He doesn't like me either." Kari said, "Nor, I think many other children."
"Why?" Loki questioned her.
"When he discovered that I was an orphan and that I would never have any gold to by books he stopped letting me in his store." Kari explained, "I sneaked in last week but I lost time and was late for supper so I was grounded."
"That sounds silly." he said, "They should let you read."
She smiled before hearing the drill of a bell jut outside the forest. It was the sound to inform the children of the orphanage to return. "I have to go, but it was nice to meet you Loki." she stood up with her book in her arms.
"What about your berries?" He asked as he finished another one.
"You can have them if you like, I can't take them home." she smiled, "Just check that there are no spotted ones... and you'll be fine."
"Thank-you Kari." he said also standing up.
"It was nice to meet you Loki, thank you for the company." she waved leaving his side and taking the short walk back to town.