"Come on, Ava." Thor said, impatiently as he waited outside of Ava's chamber room door.
Ava finished up braiding her red locks and then opened her door. "Okay, I'm ready, Brother."
"Took forever." Thor muttered and then took Ava's hand and started running with her towards the garden. They were to be going on an adventure in the mountains of Asgard with Thor's friends. Ava would have preferred it to be with their parents, but she was happy to be getting out of the palace for a while.
They were soon exiting the palace and were walking through the city. They soon arrived at the forest that was at the base of the mountains. "Thor, I thought you were never going to get here." Volstagg said as soon as they arrived.
"I'm sorry..." Thor began to say, but was interrupted by Fandrall.
"What is she doing here?" Fandrall asked, referring to Ava.
"She's coming with us." Thor answered fixing a glare on Fandrall. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Of course I do." Fandrall answered. "She's too little and she'll slow us down like she always does."
"Well, she's my sister and say she's coming." Thor replied. "You need to get over your problem."
Ava pulled her hand out of her brother's. She knew Fandrall didn't like her and it wasn't just because she was too little as he'd put it. He was always mean to her. He would only be nice after Thor gave him a good thrashing for it. "Thor...just don't worry about it." Ava said.
Thor looked at his little sister and saw that she was on the brink of tears. "Ava..." Thor tried to say.
Ava just shook her head and then looked over at Fandrall. "Fine, I won't go." She then took off on her own into the forest.
Thor glared at Fandrall. He then walked over to him and punched him. "You have to be nicer to my sister. Now help me find her."
Sif smacked Fandrall as well. "Quit being such a bilge snipe."
"I'm much more attractive than a bilge snipe." Fandrall quipped before following Thor and the others into the forest to look for Ava.
Ava ran deep into the forest. She heard her brother and the others calling for her, trying to get her to come back. She ignored them and ran faster, the tears stinging in her eyes. She ceased running only when she came to the foot of one of the mountains.
Ava wiped her tears away. "No more tears." She muttered and looked up at the wall of rock in front of her. "I'll just go on my own adventure." She then began to climb up the mountain. She had made it up about twenty feet when her foot slipped. She grabbed at a piece of rock sticking out trying to stop herself from slipping, but it was a loose rock. She began to fall off of the mountain and a scream escaped her lips. However, about halfway down she passed through something and when she landed, it wasn't the grassy floor of Asgard.
Ava sat up and looked around her. The sky was dark and the land was frozen. She let out a breath and she could see it in the air in front of her. A shiver ran down her spine and she hugged her arms around herself to try and keep warm.
Ava looked around her, trying to figure out her surroundings and discover where she was. She saw a large building not far from where she had landed. It was made of crumbling stone, but it was her only option. She stood up and began to walk towards it. She made her way inside the building, which was no warmer than the outside.
She walked around, trying to find anything that might help her figure out where she was or at least keep her warm. She found what looked like an old tapestry and used it to wrap around herself. She sat down and curled up, trying to keep warm. "I...wanna...go home." She muttered to herself as she shivered. She closed her eyes and thought about her home.
Loki...
Loki finished up yet another of his father's fighting lessons with the other children. Instead of trying to play with the other children, he went ahead and headed for the crumbling temple. He had given up on trying to be accepted by his people. It was easier to just be alone.
As he walked towards the temple, he noticed footprints in the snow. They were small...even smaller than his own. He followed them into the temple. He was surprised to find a little girl, lying curled up in one of the old tapestries.
Loki knelt down next to the girl and looked more closely at her. Her skin was white and she had red hair that was pulled back into a braid. "She is of Asgard." Loki breathed, as the realization hit him.
The girl began to move and open her eyes, which were a beautiful emerald green. She looked over at Loki and her eyes widened in fear. "Please don't hurt me?" She asked, her voice weak.
Loki knew that he should take the Asgardian girl to his father. He knew exactly what he should do, but he wasn't about to do it. "I won't hurt you." He told her. He then hesitantly reached out a hand to touch her face.
The girl shied away, still afraid of him.
"I promise I won't hurt you." Loki told her, pulling his hand back. It then occurred to him that he might be able to lessen her fears if he introduced himself. "My name is Loki. What is your name?"
"Ava." She answered, her voice still weak.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Loki asked.
Ava nodded weakly. "Yes."
Loki stood up and looked around the books that lay scattered in the temple. He finally found the one he'd been searching for. He picked it up and walked over to the old fireplace at the back of the temple. He opened the book and began to flip through the pages until he came to the one he remembered. He read the page a few times until he was sure he'd got it right. He made a few flourishes with his hand and a fire sprang to life in the fireplace. He closed the book and walked back to Ava.
Loki offered her his hand. "Come on."
Ava hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to help her up. They walked over to the fireplace and sat down in front of it. Ava looked over at him. "Am I...in the Jotunheim?" She asked.
Loki nodded. "You're from Asgard, aren't you."
She nodded. "Why are you helping me?"
Loki looked at her, surprised by her question. "I just...I don't want to hurt you." He answered. "I know what it's like to be hurt and I don't...I don't want to hurt anyone else."
Ava nodded. "I know how that is...when people are mean to you for no reason." The pair of young children sat in front of the fire for a few moments, watching the flames dance in silence. Ava then spoke up. "You're different...than what I have been told Frost Giants are like."
"I'm smaller than the others." Loki replied
Ava shook her head. "That's not what I meant."
"I know." Loki replied.
"I'm glad." Ava said, giving him a small smile.
Loki smiled back. "Are you getting warmed up?" He asked.
Ava nodded. "Yes."
"We should try to find a way to get you back home." Loki said. "If my father or anyone else finds you here..."
"Okay." Ava replied, cutting him off before he could finish that sentence.
"How did you get here?" Loki asked, thinking that if they figured out how she got there, they could find a way to get her back.
Ava then explained how she had been climbing the mountain and had fallen. She told him where she had landed. Loki and Ava had both figured that it was a one-way portal she had fallen through. They then began to search through the dusty tomes that littered the floor. They couldn't find anything that would help them get Ava back to Asgard.
Ava knew she could call for help from Heimdall, Asgard's gatekeeper, but then the other Frost Giants would know that an Asgardian had been on their world and the war would start up again. They didn't want that to happen.
"I'm never going to go back home." Ava said, falling to the ground and breaking down into tears.
Loki knelt down next to her once again. He wrapped his arms around her in an effort to comfort her. "We'll find a way."
Then the fire died and Loki looked towards the fireplace. He noticed something that he hadn't before. The fire had revealed some strange markings on the back of the fireplace. "I think we just found your way home." Loki said.
Ava looked up and saw exactly what Loki was talking about. She knew he was right. They walked over to the fireplace and Ava placed her hand along the back wall and it went straight through. She knew that it led back to Asgard. "You should come with me." Ava told Loki as she pulled her hand back.
"I can't. I have to stay here." Loki replied.
"I'll come back to visit you again." She said. "I'll dress warmer next time."
"Do...does this mean you want to be my friend?" Loki asked.
Ava nodded. "Yes...you're really nice. You're a lot nicer than some of the people back home."
"Do you think you can come back tomorrow?" Loki asked.
Ava nodded. "Yes." She then gave Loki a hug, the tapestry, she had been wrapped in, falling off of her.
Loki hugged her back. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Ava let go of him and then walked through the wall of the fireplace. She stepped back out onto the lush green grass of Asgard. She looked around her. She was somewhere in the forest by the mountains and night had fallen. "Ava!" She heard her big brother bellow.
"Thor! I'm over here!" Ava found herself calling back as she walked towards the sound of his voice.
Thor quickly found her. He had a worried expression in his blue eyes as he made his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear hug. "Ava, I'm so glad you're alright."
Ava hugged her brother back, glad to see him. "I'm glad to see you, too."
"I gave Fandrall a good punch for being so mean to you." Thor said. "Come on, we'd better get home. Mother will be worried." He then let go of Ava and turned, so that his back was to her. "Climb on."
Ava climbed onto her big brother's back and allowed him to carry her out of the forest and back to the palace. Thor called for his friends saying that he had found Ava. They made their way to their respective homes.
"Fandrall won't be mean to you anymore." Thor told Ava as he carried her home.
Ava nodded. She knew that Fandrall would still be mean to her, but she didn't mind so much anymore. She had made a new friend today and she had planned to see him again. Of course, she wasn't going to tell anyone about it. She knew if she did they wouldn't believe her. They were led to believe that all Jotuns were cruel and evil. She would just keep her friend a secret from everyone. "It's okay, Brother. I know you will always be here for me." She said, hugging him.
Thor nodded. "Of course I will. That's what big brother's are for."