I did not plan for this chapter to happen the way it did. It just happened. And I rather like it. There's a bit more romance…PLEASE REVIEW! It's the only way I can tell if you like it or not! (Pretty please?)

Disclaimer: I only own the original characters, the rest belongs to Marvel.

Chapter 7 – An Unconventional Approach

"Try again."

"I am trying. What do you think I'm doing, Loki?"

Kiera was immediately sorry for snapping at him. She could tell Loki felt badly for her. It had been several years since she had arrived in Asgard, and still she was no closer to controlling her magic. He was trying to be patient and understanding for her sake, and she could tell that he saw how frustrated she was.

Loki had quickly become Kiera's best friend. Being the only two pupils to study magic under Jadef, they quickly developed a camaraderie. Oftentimes, Loki would help Kiera with her chores when he did not have more princely duties to perform. Some of Kiera's favorite moments included finding a quiet corner of the study and reading over her books with Loki. He had taught her how to read the modern Asgardian language and had even taught her how to write some.

Unlike Kiera, Loki's lessons in magic were progressing very well. He was beginning to learn how to throw false images of himself and even disguise his appearance at will. Keira was jealous of how quickly he was learning, though he had grown up with magic his entire life and she had only been studying it for a matter of years.

"I just don't understand how it seems so self-explanatory in these books and then whenever I try anything it won't work!"

"Try to have patience, Kiera," Jadef said, flipping feverishly through a large book. "We will find the answer. These things take time."

"Jadef, have you ever had a student who took this long just to be able to produce magic at will?"

"Every individual works at his or her own pace," Jadef replied. "It is nothing to feel shame about."

"At least we know what emotions do not work," Loki said, trying to cheer her up. Instead, she glared at him, letting him know that this was the wrong thing to say.

"Loki is right, Kiera," said Jadef. "We know it is not hatred, which did not surprise me in the slightest considering your character. It is not anger, or fear, or jealousy. And now we know it is not frustration." Kiera could tell that he mean the last on the list as a joke, but she did not find it very humorous. "Frankly, it is not any of the emotions I would have expected. Your particular brand of magic is very temperamental, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means we need to try something…unconventional."

"Oh, this'll be great. What emotion should we pick first? Happiness? Glee? Passion?"

"Enough with the sarcasm, Kiera," said Jadef sternly, slamming his book shut. Kiera felt a stab of guilt. "We will resume lessons two days from now. I will do some research and decide what we should try. In the meantime, Kiera, you must try to develop a better attitude toward your studies. I am doing all I am able to help you. You are dismissed."

Kiera was speechless. She turned and left the courtyard, feeling as though she might cry. Jadef was right. He and Loki were going out of their way to help her, and out of frustration and anger she had been terribly rude toward them. She closed the door to the courtyard and ran as fast as she could through the maze of corridors to her room.

The second she entered her room she burst into tears. Humiliated and upset, she allowed herself to sink to the floor, sobbing. Why had she thought this would be easy? She had imagined herself learning within a couple of days how to control her gift, impressing the people of Asgard with her mastery of magic. Instead, she had done nothing more than disappoint her instructor and set every plant within the palace walls on fire by accident.

Kiera heard a knock at the door. "W-who is it?" she said, fighting hard to form words through her tears.

"It is Loki," said the voice from the other side of her door. "May I come in?"

Kiera felt that she would rather die than talk to Loki at this very moment. However, she stood up and faced the door. Hastily wiping tears from her face, she opened the door. She stared at his boots, refusing to look at his face.

"What do you want?"

"I came to see how you were faring. You seemed upset."

"Well, aren't you observant."

"Kiera, are you crying?"

"No," she said, sniffling and turning her head, hoping her face wasn't blotchy.

"Are you going to let me in or not?"

Sighing in exasperation, Kiera stepped out of the doorway, allowing Loki to walk into her room. Nobody beside Niva had ever been in her room before, and she was suddenly self-conscious of her unmade bed and the small pile of clothing that had accumulated next to her bureau.

"Sorry about the mess."

"This is not a mess. You have seen Thor's room, have you not?"

Kiera smiled feebly.

Loki walked casually over to her bed. "May I sit down?" he said.

"Sure," Kiera said, following him. She sat down beside him and stared at her feet. "Was Jadef mad that you left?"

"No. We were just about finished with my lessons anyway. But I did want to make sure you were alright."

"I feel terrible," Kiera said. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"You were frustrated. Anyone would be if they were in your place. But you must understand that no person suddenly becomes a master of magic. It takes lots of time and discipline, and in some cases a whole lot of guesswork."

"I just don't think I'll ever be able to do it. You guys are doing your best, but nothing's working." The tears spilled over again. "And then I was so mean to Jadef and to you, when all you're doing is trying to help me, but I'm just wasting your time. I'm just a freak from Midgard with no family and no talent and I'll never be good enough."

Kiera buried her face in her hands, sobbing. She did not even try to pull away when Loki's arm pulled her in close so her head was resting on his chest. He gently stroked her hair as she shook with sobs. His embrace was secure and comforting, and slowly her tears began to ebb away. Still, he did not let go. Suddenly, Kiera was very aware of the way his hand felt running through her hair, the way his arm felt on her back holding her close to him, how even through his tunic his chest was cold against her warm cheek. She tilted her head upward, looking into his eyes, and the twinge in her stomach was back in full force.

Suddenly, the door opened and Niva entered the room followed closely by Jadef. Kiera had only a second to register the look of surprise on their faces before she realized just how close her own face was to Loki's. It seemed as though Loki realized this at the exact same time. They sprang apart, clumsily fumbling for an excuse for why they had been so cozy only a moment ago. Kiera struggled to say or do anything remotely graceful with the image of Loki's green eyes once again refusing to leave her brain.

And to make matters even worse, Kiera heard a loud bang as her bedside table burst into flames.

It was pandemonium as Kiera and Loki tripped over each other trying to put out the fire. Jadef rushed over to examine the flames as Kiera and Loki beat at them with pillows. Niva ran into the bathroom and filled a bucket with water. Shoving both of them out of the way, she dumped the bucket out on the table, immediately putting out the flames.

Niva breathed a sigh of relief. Jadef took one last look at the charred bedside table before turning to face Kiera and Loki. Kiera watched as his eyes flitted back and forth between Kiera to Loki and back to Kiera. Then he smiled and his eyes widened as if in understanding. Without a word and before Kiera could ask him what was going on, Jadef rushed out of the room, his purple cloak disappearing around the corner.

Kiera slumped back on the bed. "Well that was…exciting."

Loki opened his mouth as if to say something before seeming to think better of it. "I should go," he said, sounding uncharacteristically awkward. He turned on his heel and followed Jadef out the door.

Niva sat next to Kiera on the bed. Kiera looked over at her. Niva raised one eyebrow at her and smiled.

"What?"

"Did I interrupt, my dear?"

Kiera felt her cheeks flush. "No, it's not what you think - "

"Of course it isn't, dear," Niva interrupted, standing up and walking to the other side of the room, humming cheerily to herself. She began to fold the pile of clothing on the floor by Kiera's bureau.

"It was nothing! I was upset about lessons today and Loki was just trying to make me feel better."

"Oh, it seems young Loki made you feel much better, am I right, Kiera?" Niva replied, winking.

Mortified, Kiera grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. "What was Jadef doing in here anyway?" she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"He found me in the hallway and told me about what happened in your lesson today. He said he was harsh with you and asked if he could accompany me so he could apologize to you. I would not have come in if I knew you were…busy."

Kiera threw the pillow down on the bed. "Awesome. Now Jadef probably thinks Loki and I were…making out or something. That'll sure make lessons fun."

"It is alright, dear. Your secret is safe with me. Though I am not certain how long it will be before Jadef informs the whole palace of what he saw."

Kiera sprang to her feet. "What?"

Niva placed Kiera's clothes back in their appropriate drawers. "Dear, Jadef is a very wise sorcerer, but he is not known for keeping matters to himself."

Without a word of goodbye to Niva, Kiera bolted from the room, running pell-mell toward Jadef's study. Whatever happened, she could not live with the embarrassment of having the whole of Asgard thinking she was having a thing with the prince.

She skidded to a halt outside of Jadef's study. The door was open and Jadef was sitting at a table, frantically scribbling notes on a sheet of paper.

"Jadef," Kiera said, out of breath. "Jadef – whatever you saw – it wasn't – I mean – I don't know what you thought – but – it wasn't what you - "

"Kiera," Jadef said, putting his pencil down. "Kiera Kiera Kiera…"

"What?"

"I think I understand now what emotion drives your power."

That was the last thing Kiera expected to hear. "Huh?"

"Now, it is only a guess, but it is a very educated guess, and I believe it will work."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, spit it out!"

Jadef laughed in a slightly maniacal way. "I saw the way you were looking at Loki just now," he teased.

"Don't try to change the subject."

"Oh, but I am not changing the subject, and that is the best part."

Now Kiera was thoroughly confused. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"I saw the way you were looking at Loki," Jadef said again, "right before your bedside table burst into flames."

Kiera shook her head, not understanding.

"I think the answer, Kiera, is that your magic is motivated by love."

What?

"Are you trying to tell me that I can only conjure fire when I'm in love?"

"Not in love," Jadef corrected. "Only when you experience love or concentrate on love."

Kiera was extremely annoyed at this information. "That is probably the lamest power I have ever heard of. No, correction, that is the lamest power I have ever heard of."

"Do not underestimate the power of love, Kiera," Jadef continued. "It is one of the most powerful emotions a person can experience. It is also one of the most diverse. Love can cause people to feel the happiest they have ever felt, but it can also bury a person deep in despair."

Despair. Kiera thought long and hard for a moment. She remembered most of the fires she had started in Midgard, but they had always seemed to happen at the most random times. However, the more she concentrated, the more clearly she remembered those moments. It was always when Kiera had felt the lowest that a fire had started. In all of those moments, she remembered wondering if anyone in the universe would ever love her. The one exception, she thought, must have been when she was a toddler, alone in her room, feeling the first true love she had ever experienced – from her parents.

And she had burned that love to ash with her so-called gift.

Kiera felt the tears coming. She clamped her eyes shut, but could not stop them. They streamed down her face in a flood as the pain and guilt of what she had done consumed her. The reality of killing her parents, accidentally or not, filled her with agony and broke her heart. Everything else disappeared and she was lost in her misery.

Suddenly, Kiera felt a new and unfamiliar sensation spreading through her hands. Her hands were suddenly tingly and hot, though not uncomfortably so. She heard Jadef gasp. She opened her eyes, blinking so she could see through the tears, and almost screamed.

Her hands were on fire.

Kiera was frozen on the spot, panicking. Her hands were on fire. Her hands were on fire. She looked up at Jadef who was staring at her hands in astonishment. Kiera looked back down at her hands, watching the fire burn. The more she watched, the more her fear turned to fascination. She realized that though her hands were on fire, they were not consumed by it.

A smile slowly spread across her lips. Then she laughed. Euphoria swept through her and she threw her flaming hands into the air in triumph. Before long, the fire sputtered and extinguished, leaving her hands completely unscathed.

Jadef applauded, breaking the silence. "Now we are getting somewhere!"

Kiera stood stunned, staring at her hands in amazement. "I did it. I actually did it."

Jadef had a stupid smile on his face. "I think our little Kiera is in love."

"Okay, let's get one thing very straight here," she said, pointing at Jadef as threateningly as she could. "You will not tell a soul about this. Lessons with Loki are going to be awkward enough for me as it is without you blabbing to every person in Asgard that I…you know."

Kiera felt very uncomfortable about this whole conversation. She had a sudden revelation that it would be like talking to her dad about the birds and the bees.

"So, when Loki asks how you suddenly are able to conjure fire at will, what should I tell him?"

Crap. What was she going to tell Loki?

"Here is what we will do," said Jadef. "We will give it a week more. A week where we will try decoy emotions to throw everyone off the trail. You will pretend to be frustrated and unable to perform your magic. After a week, I will tell you to try focusing on feeling…joy. That will be our code word. When I say joy, you focus with all your might on love, and we will see what happens. What do you think? Do you think you can pull of the act?"

"It sounds like a good plan to me," said Kiera, "except it still sounds stupid that the thing that controls my power is love. It's so cheesy."

"Remember what I told you, Kiera," said Jadef, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Love is one of the most powerful emotions a person can have. It is almost a magic in and of itself."

Kiera smiled. "I really am sorry about today's lesson."

Jadef shook his head. "I am sorry I let my anger get the best of me. Forgive me."

"You're forgiven."

"No matter, it is in the past now."

"Thanks for not giving up on me."

Jadef smiled. He walked across the room and hugged Kiera. "We will never give up on you."

In Jadef's warm embrace, Kiera felt her hands begin to tingle.

2013 EDIT: Age-wise, I'm going to say they are around the age of 20 or 21 in this chapter. Just for the record.