She was sick and tired of hearing everyone's reasonable explanations for things she knew were part of the memories she could no longer remember. It was not a dream, she had not made it up and the images that filled her head now were devoid of anything reasonably realistic. It was like seeing someone else's opinion on how she acts and feels.

Fandral had gotten a good scare when he discovered her that morning watching him whilst he slept. It was not a malicious act, though her facial features were scowling like one thinking about murder, but the need to study him had arose during the night when she had, had another dream about a horse ride ending in the warrior receiving a scratch down his neck. The mark was faded now, unnoticeable but she still had to look at it and remind herself what was reality. Of course, her grandfather had almost had a heart attack, accusing her of something untoward before becoming calm once more and shuffling her back to bed.

First time in almost two weeks she had finally been allowed out of her grandfather's rooms. Prue having stopped by to have a whispered conversation with Fandral about her behavior that resulted in the red head suggesting she be allowed out to get some air. Being cooped up had not been helping her mood but being let out only continued to add to the knowledge something was wrong. Oh people were acting indifferent and ordinary to her sure, but Griffin, upon seeing him sun bathing in Frigga's garden had hissed and yowled at her like she were a stranger to him.

Frigga had tried to comfort her but Kari was unable to care and pushed the gentle hand placed on her shoulder away. It had hurt the queen, to be rejected so harshly by the child keeping her back firmly turned towards her. Nothing more was said, no words of comfort or silly flowers with a ridiculous meaning, only the low growl of a tawny-eyed cat furious at an owner for a crime she was sure Loki was responsible for. Everything, it was all Loki's fault. She could not even remember what exactly he had done but the feeling held tight like golden threads that it was all the tricksters doing.

As Griffin turned about face and stalked off up a pathway so did Kari turn in the opposite direction and walk away. There were no allies left for her too find in this place, not even the one she brought with her. She meandered through corridors, not caring where she was going until finding her way to the top of the stairs leading down towards the city. A momentary thought occurred, that maybe children would be less hindered with secrecy and casually divulge some information she craved. A shame she knew not where any of her young friends lived, a bizarre occurrence if she really had been playing with them for a year never to follow them home at any point.

Frowning further still at a hand now braced on her head and messing up her curls, Kari glared sidelong at a Loki shaped beast distracting her from the scenery she had been admiring. She slapped his hand away as he chuckled at the hatred in her eyes and pushed her self away from the wall she was leaning on.

"None of this is real!" She spat at him.

"Your mind is still befuddled." He sighed, lifting her chin with his index finger to get a better look at her too big eyes. "Brain fever afflicting small uncomplicated things will have that effect."

"Get off me!" She squirmed out of his clutches, turning her back to him with the crossing of her arms. "This is not a Jane Austin book and nobody gets 'brain fever'."

"I was unaware you took pleasure in such tawdry romance novels."

"I hate you." She muttered under her breath, shocked when he leaned in closer to her ear.
"I know." He whispered back, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he straightened away from her glaring eyes. "Now, if you are well enough to procrastinate and shout then I believe it is time you return to your studies. Come little apprentice."

"What? I'm not your apprentice."

"Dear me, forgotten our lessons and all the good times shared?" He mocked her with his fake hurt. "No wonder you are so disagreeable."

"What are you-ow!" She bit her lip, hands held tight over her ears as she rocked unsteadily at a sudden burst of pain searing its way through her skull.

"Karian?" Loki was kneeling in front of her, a look of concern etched across his face but all she could see was the luminous green of his eyes devouring her.

It was like a key had turned and a box full of new images had been set loose in her minds eye. The library, Loki, books and… were they drinking tea in most of these weird memories?

"I don't even like tea!" She screamed at him, pushing him as hard as she could but unable to knock him anywhere near off balance.

"Calm yourself."

His tone was stern, capturing her flailing arms as he pulled her against his chest. She continued to struggle as he held her against him, confused and skittish, panting for oxygen until overwhelmed by her own fatigued mind and going limp against him.

"There, there." He soothed, smoothing her hair with one hand and wrapping her close with the other as he kissed her forehead.

A whimpering sound was all she could make, pathetic and useless resting her head against his shoulder. He lifted her up, she hated being carried like the child she looked but at the same time welcomed someone else taking the burden of weight off her legs. She ordered herself not to cry, only lay against him and stare down at the ground behind him as he casually carried her back inside the palace. They were headed for the library, she knew this without having to look up and see their direction because it was the most logical course.

When they arrived, he dropped her like a rag doll in a smaller version of his chair just right for her size. Maybe she really had been here all this time, Loki's apprentice as he had sort of promised the day she drank the blue stuff. Why else would there be a chair and desk just for her here now? She reached forward, thumbing through a book left on the child-sized desk full of pictures and writing she understood. This was Jotun; everything inside, towards the bookmark placed between the pages, all the magic she knew she knew. Working with the ice elements, minor transformation spells, it was all here.

Hearing a tinkling of china, she looked up startling Loki for a second, as he had not expected to see her wearing her blue-skinned red-eyed getup. He rolled his eyes at her, continuing forward until he could release his tray onto his taller desk. It was a tea set, she scowled at it as it matched the emerging memories and watched as he set about pouring hot water between the cups.

"I have asked you countless times not to do that." Loki sighed, lifting a teacup and placing it in front of her cringing form. "It makes the guards uneasy and scares the women."

"I don't know what you mean." She snarled softening as the smell from the steaming cup finally reached her nostrils. "What is this?"

"Your favourite drink." He responded woefully as if she had deeply offended him by liking something he did not and slumped into his chair to watch her.

"How can it be my favourite drink if I don't know what it is." Kari grumbled lifting the cup up to her lips and blowing the heat from the surface quickly before sipping the contents. "Oh god…" She mumbled, it was lovely, like honey and berries drenched in a warm loving coat now heating her cheeks with passion. She remembered it, but the memory made it taste synthetic and paled to the full glory of reality.

"You see? Would I lie to you?"

"All the time."

Loki chuckled at the joke between them, pausing to enjoy his tea as the girl beside him hummed her appreciation of the fruity thing she was drinking. Girls and fruity things, why always the fruity things? A musing for another day, he resolved, placing his cup back on the tray and leaning across to retrieve the book on his apprentice's desk.

"No more ice giant nonsense." He idly tossed the book towards a stack of tomes he was meaning to read or return or something and replaced it with a larger greener looking book with a 'thump' on her desk. "It is about time you learn an important subject as this one."

"Illusion?" She read the title giving him a stern look in response. "The art of showing people lies. How very you."