Read me!: I love each and every one of you who are reading this story! Especially those who are reviewing! You keep me going and keep the need to write this story going! Thank you! Keep it up please!
I'm also excited that a lot of you are curious as to where this story is going and the dramam of the "baby daddy" for Kaleria's child. Only time will tell!
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The rain inhibited training outdoors today, which was fine, Loki was truly confident in Kaleria's abilities now. He watched her conjure a fire ball and contouring it into a butterfly. She was beaming as she looked to Loki. "I learned this without you too!" Kaleria teased. This new found confidence within her really made her shine. Loki loved watching her; he loved the awe on her face when she discovered something new.
He simply chuckled as they stood in the training hall. "I suppose you think you do not need me anymore?"
Kaleria looked back at the butterfly she created. "You can still hang around, I guess."
"And what if I do not want to hang around?" Loki dared.
Kaleria diminished the butterfly flame and looked at Loki. "Then I guess you can go." She teased.
Loki walked closer to Kaleria, so close he was almost on top of her. "I guess I will."
Before anything could move further, the door to the training hall opened, causing the two to quickly back away from one another.
"Indoors today, I see?" A familiar voice called to them. Loki and Kaleria looked to see the Warriors Three along with Sif and Thor. Fandral smiled as he looked at Loki and Kaleria. "Mind if we train with you?" He continued.
"By all means." Loki replied, looking to Kaleria. "We were just getting started."
The group walked over to Loki and Kaleria. "I thought we could all practice our hand to hand combat." Sif said with a smile. "No magic."
"Where's the fun in that?" Loki dared as he narrowed his eyes slightly at Sif.
"Poor Loki has to display true skill." Sif replied.
"Skills are skills, magic or not." Loki glowered at Sif, whom just returned the gesture.
"Right, well, let's train shall we?" Kaleria interrupted the little feud between Sif and Loki.
"I call first battle." Sif said, clutching her spear tightly. "I challenge Loki."
"I don't think that's such a-"Kaleria began.
"I accept if I can use magic." Loki replied.
"Fine, it is not advantage to you." Sif replied, brushing passed Loki and to the cleared area for training.
"What are you doing?" Kaleria asked, gritting her teeth at Loki.
"It has to be done." Loki simply said. "She's challenging me for more reasons than to just fight."
Kaleria narrowed her eyes. "I don't approve."
Loki just shrugged at Kaleria as he took his knives out and walked over to Sif. Fandral walked along side of him and looked at the two. "I want a good, clean fight. Understand?" He looked at Loki specifically. "That means you, Loki." Loki just grinned.
Their fight began, Sif giving everything she had as she tried to strike Loki. Loki would dodge her attacks and project duplicates of himself to throw her off. She slashed wildly at the projections and eventually slashed at Loki, ripping through the cloth on his arm. Loki just smirked, hiding behind more projections before sneaking up behind Sif and throwing a knife at full force. Sif was able to duck in time, the blade barely missing her.
"Is it normal to fight so… viciously?" Kaleria whispered to Fandral.
"In battle, yes, however in training, no." He replied. "They have a lot of…resentment towards each other."
Kaleria sighed. "So I see." She watched them fight for a few more moments before asking Fandral another question. "When do we interfere?"
"Before they kill each other, I believe." Fandral replied. "I can stop them whenever you'd like."
"Please do." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at her sister and Loki fighting.
Fandral walked closer to the battle, Sif now had Loki somewhat pinned, but knowing Loki he had another trick up his sleeve. Fandral cleared his throat loudly and the two looked at him in confusion. "I think you two have practiced enough." Fandral raised an eyebrow at them. "Killing each other is not required."
Sif stepped back from Loki, holding her spear tightly as she watched Loki stretch a little. Her eyes narrowing as Loki walked over to Kaleria, whom looked a little concerned.
Kaleria looked at Loki's arm, the already drying blood caked around the wound. "You just had to agree to fight her? That was truly a dumb idea, Loki."
"She needed to get out her frustration." Loki shrugged.
Kaleria raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Loki grinned, leaning down to whisper to Kaleria. "She is definitely onto us."
Kaleria's eyes went wide. "There's nothing to be onto." Kaleria pulled away from Loki, narrowing her eyes. "And don't change the subject."
"You could always just… tell her." Loki suggested with a wicked grin.
"There's nothing to tell her…" Kaleria replied. "We're not even sure what to make of this."
Loki opened his mouth to reply with a snarky remark only to be interrupted by Thor. "Alright, who's next?" He asked eagerly. "Any challengers?"
"Yes, because fighting you with Mjolnir is a fair fight." Loki remarked.
"I'll fight him." Kaleria looked to Thor.
"No you will not!" Sif and Loki said at the same time, causing them to exchange quick glares.
"Why not?" Kaleria dared, she was feeling reckless now. She was angry with Sif and Loki for their unnecessary fighting; now it was time to go against both of their wishes. "I'm ready."
Thor grinned. "Are you sure Lady Kaleria?"
"Yes." Kaleria replied passing glances to both Sif and Loki.
Thor and Kaleria walked to the cleared area, Thor swinging Mjolnir. "I hope you are ready." Kaleria smiled nervously. With one mighty swing, Thor tossed Mjolnir directly at Kaleria, it missing her not by much.
"Thor!" Sif shouted. "Knock it off!"
"She wanted to fight." Thor shrugged, throwing Mjolnir once more.
Kaleria dodged Mjolnir as Thor's throws became more rapid. Finally, a blow from Mjolnir hit Kaleria on the rebound, hitting her in the back and sending her flying forward. Kaleria landed with a thud onto the ground, winded. She gasped for air as she pushed herself up slowly. Thor walked closer to Kaleria, looking down at her. He was about to ask if she was alright, when he noticed he could no longer move. He felt a sudden smoldering heat coming from his feet. Thor looked down to see his boots were now melted to the ground, Kaleria's hands on his boots.
Thor began pulling at his feet to free himself while Kaleria took the moment to grab a nearby metal staff using it to deal a hard hit onto Thors' back. Thor flinched, losing his balance and falling over. The bottom of his boots completely melted off, and now his feet were exposed. Thor laughed a hearty laugh as he looked at Kaleria. "She's tougher than you think!" He commented as he stood.
He began swinging Mjolnir once more, this time charging for Kaleria. Kaleria quickly heated the metal staff, the staff becoming red hot. Thor brought Mjolnir down, hitting the staff and causing sparks. Kaleria ducked just in time before taking an almost direct hit from Mjolnir.
Thor, recovering from his last attack, turned around quickly to follow Kaleria's next attack. He stopped moving as Kaleria placed the staff to his chest. He could feel the heat through his armor. "I can melt right through this…" Kaleria breathed heavily. "Give?"
Thor laughed, backing up slightly. "Alright, you win."
Kaleria pulled the staff away from Thor, holding the staff in her hands. It would take longer for the staff to cool down, but she knew she couldn't put it down in fear of causing a fire. Kaleria was out of breath and her body was screaming in pain from when Mjolnir hit her.
Sif was the first to run over to her, stopping herself before touching her sister. "Are you all right?" She asked worriedly. "How is your back?"
Kaleria stretched slightly. "I'll be fine." She lied.
Thor walked over, grinning. "She's a good opponent, though I was going easy."
Kaleria laughed. "So was I." She was glad Thor was on her side, she truly was giving him her all.
"You're done fighting for today." Sif replied protectively as Kaleria walked over to the rest of the group.
Loki had a disapproving look on his face as he folded his arms. "That was dumb."
Kaleria glared at him. "What you did earlier was also dumb."
"Yes, but I was fighting someone who I equal in combat. Thor could have killed you."
"I held my own just fine, thank you."
"You're going to be sore tomorrow." Loki commented.
"I'll worry about it then." She was still mad at Sif and Loki, but currently her body was screaming at her. She couldn't focus on her anger at that moment.
After a few more hours, the group had had enough of training. Sif walked over to Kaleria, a small smile on her face. "We're going to the Tavern if you care to join us."
"That sounds fun." Kaleria said returning the smile. "I'll see how I'm feeling in a little bit."
Sif nodded, looking back to the Warriors and Thor who were already leaving. "I hope to see you later." Kaleria nodded in response as Sif turned to leave with the Warriors and Thor.
Kaleria turned to look at Loki, her eyes still narrowed in disapproval. She went to move closer to him, only to stop as pain shot up her body. Loki looked at her with concern as he closed the gap between them. "You're not going anywhere tonight except to rest."
"I'm fine." She grunted in pain.
"You're a terrible liar." Loki rolled his eyes, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.
"You'll have to train me to be better at it." She winced.
Loki smiled somewhat sympathetically as he looked at Kaleria. "You should really rest."
"Come with me to the library." Kaleria asked so suddenly, it threw Loki off guard.
"That's not going to work, Kali." Loki chuckled. "You can't avoid resting."
"I will be resting… and reading." Kaleria replied.
Loki rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, you win, let's go to the library." Kaleria smiled victoriously as Loki helped her walk to the library.
Kaleria was limping as she skimmed the shelves for an Asgardian history book. Loki watched her carefully; it pained him to watch her struggle. Yet, it also amused him. Kaleria found a book that interested her and grabbed it from the shelf, wincing as she did. "Can I at least help you?"
"No need, I'm fine." Kaleria managed to say as she limped over to the windowsill she had grown to love sitting in. She opened the book and began reading, distracted by her pain as she looked over the top of the book to see Loki shaking his head, grinning.
"Kali, give me the book." Loki sighed.
"Why? I'm reading." She replied.
"I can see that, however, the pain you're in is inhibiting you from reading." Loki said as he sat down next to her on the windowsill. He held out his hand, motioning for the book. "Give it here."
"I'm still reading." Kaleria grumbled.
"I'll read it to you." Loki offered.
"I don't need you reading to me, you're distracting." Kaleria argued.
"At least let me hold the book then." Loki insisted.
Kaleria narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Loki. He kept gesturing to the book. Finally Kaleria sighed and handed him the book. "I don't see how this is going to work."
"You'll have to get closer." Loki grinned mischievously.
"This isn't going to work." Kaleria complained as she scooted closer to Loki.
"Just trust me." Loki sighed as he held the book open for her.
Kaleria snorted at the thought of trusting Loki. She then began to read. "What if I need to turn the page?"
"Ask me to turn the page then?" Loki replied.
"That's going to get annoying." Kaleria said. "And reaching over you won't work if I'm in so much-"Kaleria caught herself from admitting she was in pain, only to have Loki chuckle. "I just don't want to reach over you." She quickly replied.
"Fine then." Loki then repositioned himself so his back was against the corner of the windowsill; he put one leg behind Kaleria and the other draped off the side. He then motioned for her to come closer. "Sit here."
Kaleria raised a curious eyebrow. "Sit where?"
"With your back against me, then you can turn the pages yourself." He replied coolly.
"I am not sitting against you!" Kaleria replied incredulously. "You must be out of your mind."
"Do you want to read the book or not?" There was silence from Kaleria. "This way we both win, you'll get to read the book and I can make you relax."
Kaleria hesitantly repositioned herself so that she was leaning against Loki's chest. She shifted until she was comfortable. Loki placed the book in front of her; she had easier access to moving the pages as well as not moving too much in general. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right, this was relaxing… he was really comfortable to lean against. She was distracted by the way his chest rose and fell gracefully, the coldness of his skin when she accidentally touched it to flip pages.
Loki watched her curiously, how she truly enjoyed reading. It made him smile as he felt her move every so often to change the page, or adjust slightly. Whatever he was feeling then was complicated, Kaleria was complicated, and he was complicated. The situation at hand was delicate and he knew it had to be approached with extreme caution. She was different; she was someone he truly enjoyed having around. She understood being in the shadow to a greater older sibling, she knew what it was like to feel outcast. She simply understood him without him ever opening up to her.
If this was love, he couldn't call it that, not yet, it was too soon. She would run at the first mention of it. She was afraid. That's all there was to it. He still couldn't pin point exactly what she was feeling. He knew the hesitation was there, but the fear was keeping her from feeling anything, it seemed.
"How's the book?" Loki asked softly, careful not to move too much.
"Brilliant." Kaleria replied faintly.
Loki smiled. "Are you falling asleep?"
"It's been a long day." Kaleria yawned.
"Let me help you to your chambers."
"In a minute…" Her voice was fading.
"You'll be asleep in a minute." Loki chuckled.
"I know." Was the last thing Kaleria had said before drifting off to sleep.
Kaleria was afraid to open her eyes. She knew she was not in her bed and she had a pretty good idea of exactly where she was. She opened one eye to confirm her surroundings; she was still in the library, a book resting on her chest, and her back resting on another figure. His breathing was soft and regular, signifying he was still asleep. Carefully, Kaleria shifted to get up, trying not to wake the sleeping Loki behind her. Her movements were also very careful due to the pain shooting through her body. She was able to move just enough so she could turn to see the sleeping Loki. He looked peaceful. Kaleria watched him for a moment before continuing her quest to get off the windowsill without waking him. As she swung one leg down from the windowsill, getting ready for the other, she heard movement.
Kaleria froze, hesitating as she looked up quickly to see Loki grinning, his eyes still closed. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He muttered somewhat sleepily.
Kaleria nearly fell over. "It's morning, we were here all night…"
Loki opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings before shrugging. "I suppose you're right, we were here all night." Loki stretched his arms in the air, yawning along with it. "How are you feeling?"
Kaleria winced as she finally removed herself from the windowsill, her body ached more so than the day before. "I could be better."
Loki replied with a grin as he shifted his position, legs dangling from the windowsill as he watched Kaleria move cautiously. "How did you sleep?"
Kaleria narrowed her eyes at him as she turned away from him to return the book she fell asleep reading. "Fine, I suppose." She muttered as she replaced the book, avoiding his gaze. Loki removed himself from the windowsill and walked over to Kaleria, standing behind her like a shadow and making her nervous. "Yes?" She turned to face him.
"You should still try to relax today."
"Babying it is not going to help." Kaleria replied as she stepped around Loki and headed for the door. She wasn't sure why she was so detached from him today but, she felt as though she had to get away from him. Of course, Loki followed her. Kaleria sighed as she stopped walking, Loki nearly crashing into her at her suddenly stopping in movement. "You're going to follow me all day?"
Loki walked around Kaleria, stopping in front of her and looking at her with colder eyes. "There's only one door out of the library."
"Yes and when you leave the library with me, then what?" Kaleria asked.
"Is it such a problem to be near me?" Loki retorted. "Waking up this morning you acted as though it were life or death to get away from me."
"Yes because it was a very fast situation, what did you expect me to do?" Kaleria asked.
Loki exhaled through his nose, he was definitely frustrated. "I expect you to try." He replied, his tone harsh. "You say things are too fast for you or that you're afraid or whatever. Have you even thought for a moment that it is this way because you're too hesitant to even try?"
As Kaleria opened her mouth to say something to his sharp response, he had already turned and walked out the door, leaving her alone in the library. She sighed deeply before muttering to no one in particular. "What is wrong with me?"
Kaleria made her way to the Tavern; oddly enough she was in the mood for a drink, no matter how early in the day it was. She sat at the bar with a mug full of mead resting on the bar. Her hands wrapped around the mug loosely as she stared into the mug. She wasn't alone in the Tavern, but it was definitely emptier than normal.
"A little early for a drink, don't you think?" Kaleria turned her head to see Sif smiling sympathetically, her arms folded loosely. "May I join you?"
"I suppose it's not too early for you either?" Kaleria joked motioning to the seat next to her.
Sif quickly obliged, sitting next to her sister and ordering her own mug.
Sif watched Kaleria for a moment, noticing her deflated shoulders and her solemn exterior. "Care to talk about it?" Sif asked only to receive a sigh in response. "Come now Kaleria, I was hoping we would reconnect as sisters, the least you could do is talk to me."
Kaleria now felt bad, she did want to reconnect with her sister but found herself focused on training and Loki. "You're going to be mad at me."
"Try me." Sif replied taking a small sip from her mug.
"Loki kissed me." Sif made a face as Kaleria continued. "I kissed him back." Sif only replied by taking a larger swig of her mead.
Sif swallowed her mead harshly. "Kaleria, I thought I warned you about him…"
Kaleria groaned. "I know but, that's not the problem…"
Sif held her breath. "Do I dare ask….?"
"He's right." Was all she could figure out to say as she took another sip.
"Right, how?" Sif asked.
"I'm hesitant and I'm afraid to do anything about it." She replied as she looked down. "Something wonderful could come from this… from us… and I'm too scared to even try to warm up to him."
"Well do you even want to?" Sif asked. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to…"
Kaleria groaned once more. "I don't know what I want… and that's not helping."
As much as it pained Sif to condone any sort of relationship between her sister and Loki, she knew she had to give advice, she knew she had to be there for Kaleria, regardless of how she felt. "It sounds like you need to think about what you want… it Loki truly wants something out of this, you have to be fair to him too. Being unsure and hesitant is not going to help either of you…"
Kaleria feigned a smile as she looked down at her now empty mug. "Can we just… drink?"
Sif let out a small chuckle. "Yes, let's drink and we can forget about men for now." The two sisters refilled their mugs.
Final Thoughts: Hooray for sisterly moments! Boo for lover quarrels! Huzzah for reviewing! Which I hope you guys are doing! Thanks for reading!