Hi there. I'm sorry that this took so long. My AoTC fic has been taking much of my time, along with life. Anywho, Enjoy!

Vielae is mine. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.

It was several days before Vielae started getting restless. There was only so much that she could read. After she finished her last available book, she cleared a space for her to start working through her paces. Taking a slow, deep breath, she started the first form of the Surit'sa Rahi*. She kept her movements slow and exaggerated, as if she were moving through water. The movements were very ornate, but at normal speed, they were deadly as well. Surit'sa Rahi was a combination of dance and combat. To master it, one had to be flexible and strong, a state not easy to achieve. As she executed each punch and pose, Vielae could feel that her body was slow to respond. Queen Frigga and the healers did have to rebuild her entire muscular structure, so this was not surprising. Her mind was sharp as ever, so the memories were helping her along.

As she moved, Loki observed. This was a fighting style lost to the ages, and here he was, watching someone perform it. Regardless of how he felt, he knew he was witnessing something useful. Grabbing a quill, ink, and blank parchment, he started making notes. His efforts did not go unnoticed, as Vielae stopped and looked at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked. In the middle of noting one particular punch that went diagonally downwards, Loki looked up to see her looking at him. Once again, he found himself locked with those ice blue eyes of hers. Vielae cleared her throat and brought his mind back to reality.

"What is that style you are using?" he asked. Vielae frowned, confused.

"It's called Surit'sa Rahi," Vielae responded. "It's the form of unarmed combat that my people use." Loki wrote the name down at the top of his notes. "That does not answer my question, Loki. What are you doing?" Vielae asked again.

"There are several things I am, Vielae. A scholar is one of them. My brother preferred combat practice while I read and studied from books. I have never read about this style of combat before. I believe it is worth studying and noting. Is there a problem?" Loki said, noticing the look on Vielae's face. This look was one of slight confusion, but also a touch of amazement.

"No, I suppose there is no problem," she replied after a moment of thought. Perhaps this is a good idea. It may be a closely guarded secret, but unless taught by a master, this technique can never be truly mastered. "You may ask me questions as I go on," Vielae mentioned, and resumed her exercises. Every so often, Loki would ask her to repeat a movement so that he could see it in more detail. She would oblige, and within an hour, he had enough notes down that he thought he would be able to learn it. Vielae repeated the same level a few more times, working her muscles until they responded to her commands without any complaints or hesitations. However, much to her annoyance, Vielae found herself tired. With a sigh, she sat down and waited for her afternoon meal to be sent. As she sat, she noticed that Loki was carefully studying his notes. Vielae almost couldn't contain herself as Loki attempted to take on the first form...and fell over. Without thinking, Vielae started laughing. Loki got up with a scowl and brushed himself off.

"Do I amuse you?" he growled. Vielae calmed herself.

"Your form does, yes," she said, a smile still gracing her features. Loki marveled slightly at how soft the smile made her features look. A gentle light danced in her blue and black eyes, and the scars on her angular face seemed to vanish slightly. "Loki, do you know how long it took me to master just that first form?" When he didn't answer, Vielae continued. "It took me 50 years to master it. What you just witnessed was me fighting my body to make it obey. I was in stasis for 5,000 years after all." After a moment of silence, Loki watched as her whole body changed. Vielae stood up straight, squaring her shoulders and holding her hands behind her back. Her feet moved apart to match the width of her shoulders, and her face became stern. "Stand up and take that pose again." Loki hesitated for a moment, but then realized that she was going to teach him. He rose and assumed the pose again, this time not falling over. By mirroring and with spoken instruction, Vielae taught Loki the first form of Surit'sa Rahi. Vielae found herself enjoying this. She had never been allowed to teach back home, so having a student was a new experience for her. It took a few days for her to figure out what got the most favorable responses from Loki, and for Loki to figure out how to get the most out of Vielae's instruction. Being limited to spoken instruction and mirroring movements was difficult, but within a week or two, Loki had gotten the first form down with acceptable skill. After that, Vielae told him, the mastery comes from practicing. They then moved on to the second form, working in a similar manner.

One night, after a good day's work, they sat down to their respective meals, and just talked.

"What was it like, growing up on Svartalfheim?" Loki asked. "I've been able to sneak there a few times as a child, but I've never spent a whole lot of time there."

"It was a warrior's life for me," Vielae said. "My father was a great warlord, and a strong warrior in his own right."

"And your mother?" Loki asked. Vielae frowned slightly.

"I never knew her," she said softly, as if just realizing it for the first time. "I don't know who my mother was, or if she's even alive."

"It has been 5,000 years. Is that possible?" Loki wondered aloud.

"Yes, it's possible. However, given my father's...tendencies...it's unlikely." She sounded defeated.

"Temper?" When Vielae didn't answer, Loki decided not to press the issue, though curiosity had him tight in her grasp. They both finished their meal in silence. Once finished, Loki started writing down the notes from the day's training. He did his best to avoid asking Vielae any questions, mainly because she had sat on the floor and appeared to be meditating. When he had finished, which was about two hours, he received a visit from his Queen mother. Vielae watched as they conversed, knowing that Queen Frigga was using the same magic that was used when she visited last time. When Loki ended her transmission, Vielae heard Frigga ask "Am I not your mother?" With a sigh, Loki had answered, "No". This confirmed something that Vielae had suspected from the beginning: Frigga wasn't his real mother. That's why he didn't pry into the subject with her earlier; he didn't know who his real mother was either.

Vielae had noticed something even more peculiar. Loki didn't look like the rest of the Asgardians that she had seen. He was paler, leaner, and his hair was much darker. Realizing that curiosity had her, Vielae decided to take the plunge...and ask.

"Loki," she said, "You're not from Asgard, are you?" Vielae held her breath, waiting for a reaction. When it didn't come, Vielae looked at Loki. He was smiling, but there was slight sadness in his eyes.

"Finally figured that out, did you?" he asked. "No, I am not of Asgard by birth. I was taken from my home by Odin, when I was an infant." Vielae's eyes widened. Loki decided to see if she could figure out where he was from, even though he secretly did not want her to.

"Do you know who your father is?" Vielae asked. Loki nodded, his smile fading slightly.

"He is called Laufey," he replied.

"Laufey?!" Vielae exclaimed. "You're a Jotun..." she said, her voice trailing off.

"You sound disappointed, Vielae," Loki quipped.

"No, it's not that," Vielae said quickly. "I remembered reading something about Odin removing a Jotun baby from Laufey's palace. I just...didn't expect that baby to be you. You don't look Jotun," she said, finishing somewhat lamely. Loki grinned.

"You mean I'm not blue and hideous?"
"No you're..." Vielae began, the word 'handsome' catching in her throat. Loki's grin became wider as he watched Vielae realize that she was blushing. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. With great internal effort, Vielae wrenched her gaze away from Loki's beautiful green eyes. Though standing with her back to him, she could still feel his gaze piercing through her like a dagger. This is absurd. I can't be feeling anything for him...can I? Vielae asked herself as she laid down to sleep. At the same time, Loki was lying down, thinking.

This woman is...interesting. With a small jolt, he realized what that meant to his heart. He wanted to look at her more. Just the other day, he had caught himself watching her as she slept, enjoying her gentle breathing and memorizing everything about her face. He had feelings for her.

And that, more than anything in the Nine Realms, scared him.

*Surit'sa Rahi translates to "bare hands" in Drow. This was the closest I could get to their language.