For a fraction of a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. Then, the image on the soulforge began to waver and thrash about, as though it were being interfered with. The body seemed to ripple and pulse in suit, like some unholy monster. Loki threw his arm across his brother's chest and shoved him aside before his brother could react in some harmful way.
The strange wave on the soulforge's projection began to dissipate from the center of the body, leaving images of healthy and whole organs and bones. Loki seized the sheet and tore it from the body, and though much of it was bandaged, he could see that the limbs were beginning to reform in shape, as if by a powerful and unknowable magic. After a moment longer, healthy skin began to spread rapidly over the body, as though someone were pouring ivory paint over all the angry red. The healthy skin flowed up the limbs, across the stomach and eventually spread across the face, now whole and unblemished. The figure was suddenly abundantly identifiable as female: delicate and graceful limbs, ample hips and a curving chest. One of the healers drew another blanket over her body for modesty, and with a flick of his finger, Loki transformed it into some loose fitted garments. Ignoring the young healer's shrieks of surprise, Loki turned his attention to the woman's face.
"This cannot be!" exclaimed one of the senior healers. "Organs cannot be regrown and damage like this cannot be undone so quickly! She even grew her EYE back!" Loki resisted pulling a face at the older woman. It did not matter if it could not be, it was.
Returning his gaze to the figure on the bed, Loki was surprised at her loveliness, particularly in comparison to her gruesome appearance only seconds ago. 'So young,' he thought, 'So beautiful.' The figure on the bed was now obviously younger than himself, and undeniably attractive. The effect of her transformation was complete as a halo of red hair seemed to materialize around her face. It spread; long and luscious until it began to spill off the table, curling gently into perfect rings.
It was an unusual color, not the copper or strawberry-blonde typical of redheaded Asgardians, but a dark, rich, auburn red. Loki immediately longed to run his hands through the beautiful stuff, and without even really knowing what he was doing, he took a half a step forward and plunged his hand into it, delicately smoothing the hair away from her face. He ran his hand through her silken tresses gently, staring at the soft flowing locks as they passed through his fingers as if they were an impossible dream. Behind him distantly, he heard his father say "The precise image… it could be her from our youth…"
"My Lord Loki!" squeaked the healing girl from before, pointing at the soulforge image once again, "What is happening now?"
Little nodes of light were beginning to pop up all over the projection of the now perfectly healthy and unblemished body. Loki looked at them blankly for a moment, before realizing that the light was representative of magic, as he had left it. The dots began to blur out into thin lines, all reaching towards each other. "That should not be possible," Loki muttered. He looked down at the manacle made to control magic, and found that it seemed to be disintegrating. He inspected it closely, and it seemed that it was being eaten away, as a metal would be eaten away by acid. He watched it intently for what must have been ten minutes or more, before it too fell into dust and vanished. He glanced up at the soulforge, and saw that the points of light and lines had developed into a network crossing the entire body, as though she had a second bloodstream of magic within her. He had never known of a being to contain so much dormant power, had never heard of a being that could withstand it.
A crumbling noise drew his eyes back down from the image to the graceful and delicate neck, where the heavy collar remained. It was being twisted and bent, chunks of it falling away. In mere moments, the magic within the young woman had destroyed the bind on her mind, and in a flash of light it was nothing but ash in the air.
The figure began to stir, and Loki instinctively leaned over her and watched her face. Slowly, her lidded eyes began to crack open. Slowly and almost weakly she opened her eyelids, exposing the most beautiful eyes Loki had ever seen. They were an intense blue: but not the usual skyblue of the predominantly blonde Asgardians. It was a dark blue like the twilight sky, and every bit as enchanting. He stared at her as she began to look about the room, and suddenly they locked eyes. For a brief moment they gazed at each other and Loki felt like his heart was in his throat. Then… with no warning at all… hell broke loose.
The young woman shoved Loki away from her violently, causing him to fly backwards until he hit his brother in the chest and bounce. She flipped backwards off the table, flying head over heels before landing in a crouch. She scrambled backwards, scattering healers and onlookers from her path until it was arrested by a table in the corner of the chamber. As though she were determined to get as far from all the people as possible, she leapt nimbly on top of the table and crouched in a defensive combat stance, her eyes flitting about the room wildly.
"Everyone out!" yelled Odin, "NOW!" The healers and handmaidens disappeared rapidly through the various doors to the chamber, and Thor followed them out, although he backed out while staring at agog at the young woman until Odin had to make an angry gesture at him. Loki proceeded to a door, but hesitated.
"Fath-"
"OUT!"
"But-"
"NOW!"
His show of hesitance had bought him just enough time to summon a tiny bit of magic that he could see and hear through. Loki was determined to understand what was going on.
...
The young woman remained backed into her corner, trembling with tension. Odin sighed deeply, and began to walk towards her slowly until she barked "Stay back!" at him. The Allfather stopped and waited, wise after many, many centuries of life. As the minutes ticked by, the girl started to lower her hands slightly.
When she seemed less tense, he opened his hand to show her the necklace. "You know what this is, yes?"
"Yes. It is mine. Return it to me." She hissed, seemingly angrier again.
"Could it have belonged to Maeve?" he asked.
"You know it did" the girl said, "it says so on the back."
Odin put the necklace gently down on the healing table. "She was your mother, wasn't she…. Aislinn?"
"How could you know that? How do you know my name?!"
"You look just like she did as a young woman. We spent most of our lives growing up side by side… she was a great friend to me." Odin paused for a moment before continuing, "Although, you got your father's eye and hair color." The young woman began to uncurl from her defensive stance, straightening up and staring at the Allfather. "You were a tiny babe when I last saw you. I never understood why your mother and father ran from me."
The young woman began to tremble more violently, and tears began to run silently from her eyes. "Are you… Odin?" The Asgardian king nodded slowly. "And… I am in your house?" She whispered. He nodded again, looking at her intently. "Allfather…. Am… am I safe now?"
"Yes child. You are protected within my power and within my house. You are home again." The young woman suddenly burst into tears and collapsed forward off the table, only to fall into Odin's arms. He held her gently as she wept into his shoulder.
"Tell me what happened?" Odin asked. She shuddered and pressed her face into his shoulder. "Can you tell me if your parents still live, if they need help?"
"No." she whispered, "they are gone."
"Tell me." Odin ordered, although his voice remained gentle.
"Father….. Father believed there was a prophecy about me. I was supposed to be the miracle girl, powerful beyond his wildest hopes. But he was afraid that people would hunt me, and try to use me or take me. He hid us for a long time and I trained to protect myself and I grew up. He told me that we would go home soon, he told me that we would climb to the top of the hill and call for a man named Heimdall to carry us away on a rainbow." She stopped to wipe her face and breathe slowly again. "but then these monsters attacked our home. They were everywhere…. The last thing I saw before I woke here was my parents dying before they closed something around my neck." She was choked off by her shivers again.
Odin patted her hair, and told her that was enough for now. He helped her back to the table, and told her to lie down. He promised her safety in his home, and that every person in the palace would protect her and help her. He called a handmaiden to bring her food, and although Aislinn remained shy, she did not become frightened or aggressive this time, and ate everything brought to her. Odin stayed by her side until she drifted off into fitful sleep, and then left the room, forbidding anyone to enter until the newcomer awoke and called for someone.
...
Even when the lights were dimmed to allow the woman to sleep, Loki could not bring himself to release his spying magic. At first, he told himself that he was only trying to learn a secret his father did not wish him to know, but it rapidly became about watching Aislinn's face, beautiful in fear, in relief, and in sleep. He knew how angry and frightened she would be that he watched her, and so eventually he let the magic fade from his eyes, and saw the scene before him instead of the healing chambers. He stared into the fire in his own chamber, but all he saw was dark red hair and night blue eyes.