Chapter III: In a Bind

A/N: Yes, I'm aware that the cliffhanger last chapter was evil. But it served a purpose. I would like to thank theicemenace for her beta work. Also to anyone who was used as a sounding board, thanks for the help you gave me. Special shout out to MsMarvel21 for her work as well. Italics are thoughts or flashbacks. Enjoy the chapter! SSD

As the chaos ensued, Ragnar looked at his sister. Where there had previously been an evil smirk was replaced with total shock.

"Let me guess, you did not intend to do that?" Ragnar whispered. When his sister nodded back, Ragnar took in the situation before them. Fandral had just dumped a bucket of water on Astrid, who now looked like a drowned rat.

After receiving a look from their father, Ragnar turned to Hanna saying, "I think it's time for you to take your leave."

"A wise choice, little brother," Hanna muttered. They took a side exit back towards their temporary rooms.

Hanna knew that she was going to be in a lot of trouble.

###

This night was going even better than he had expected it to. Pulled off a really excellent trick (though he'd have preferred not getting slapped), and he had found a possible apprentice to hold up his end of the bet with Sif.

Having noticed the incident play out in front of him, Thor turned to him and asked, "Is that your handiwork, brother?"

"No, it was not mine. Too out of control. Though I think I know whose work it is."

With that he left to find Lord Sven. He was going to make him an offer concerning Hanna.

On his way out of the hall, Loki walked past Sif and murmured with a smirk, "I found my apprentice."

###

This had become the absolute worst case scenario for Sven to deal with. A person with out of control magic was seen as a threat. A threat that needed to be dealt with or given the proper training to control said magic.

But masters of elemental magic were few and far between, because elemental magic usually killed those who wielded it. And those that lived usually were not the easiest to find. And when you did find them, getting them to teach someone else the craft was difficult.

"Damn you Haakon. You're making it sound like I haven't even tried finding someone to teach Hanna how to control her magic."

If he didn't find someone to teach Hanna and quick, the only options for dealing with her out of control magic were ones he couldn't even bring himself to consider doing. He cursed his brother for even mentioning those options.

As he got to his temporary study, he noticed that Alarik seemed nervous.

"What is it Alarik?"

Biting his lip, the young guard said, "Prince Loki is waiting for you in your study. I do not know why he's there."

Sensing that his youngest guard was quite uncomfortable, Sven decided to give him a way out. "Why don't you go and see what Feykir needs done for a patrol." Feykir was the captain of his guards.

"Yes my Lord. Thank you, my Lord." Alarik left as quickly as he could.

As he entered the room, a silky voice said, "I suppose you are wondering why I am here, Lord Sven." One of the chairs near the fire turned around and Sven saw that the younger prince of Asgard sitting in it.

Sven immediately pulled out his best diplomat's face. "Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked with a slight bow.

###

"Oh he is good. A challenge to see how well I can read him." Loki thought. He wasn't fooled by the older man's diplomat's face. Loki had overheard the conversation that Sven had with his brother, the king. The man was undeniably desperate.

Getting back to the reason he was there, Loki replied, "I'm here to speak to you about your daughter, Hanna. That was quite a show she put on back in the Great Hall." Loki allowed the barest trace of a smirk onto his face.

"I apologize if that gave you cause for concern, your Highness. My daughter has been having issues with her magic for some time."

"It would be such a shame for talent like that to go to waste. Of course, the problem for you has undoubtedly been to find Hanna a teacher."

Normally it would have taken Sven a great deal longer to lose his patience, but since he had a lot on his mind, Sven asked, "Your Highness, could you speak plainly. Why are you here?"

###

Again Loki smiled. There were times where even he appreciated getting to the point quickly. But there was still some fun to be had in delaying the main idea a little longer.

"Your daughter has a great deal of raw talent, which needs proper channeling." Losing the smirk as he saw the older man make a hand motion he took to mean "Get to the point, now. I don't care whether you're a prince of Asgard."

Finally saying what he had come there to say, Loki stated, "Your daughter Hanna is in desperate need of a teacher. And I find myself in a situation where I need to have an apprentice. I believe that your daughter would make for a decent apprentice."

###

Sven could barely believe his ears. The man who was arguably the best sorcerer in the Nine Realms was asking him if he would allow Hanna to become his apprentice.

But this was still Loki, the Silver Tongued and Liesmith. The mortals on Midgard called him the God of Mischief for a very good reason. He always had an ulterior motive.

But given who his father was, Sven couldn't really say no to him. And they both knew it.

"If I were to allow this, what assurances do I have that my daughter's safety will not be compromised?" Sven asked. That was something he needed to think about.

Loki was not too surprised by this question either. He'd been expecting it.

"I give you my word, as Loki, son of Odin that no harm will come to her so long as she is with me."

Loki watched as an unreadable look crossed the older man's face. Sven was silent for only a moment, before saying, "Well, son of Odin I will give your offer some thought. Give me a day, I will tell you of my final decision tomorrow."

"Understood." With that, Loki actually left the room without using magic.

###

"That was too close," Sven thought. "It's a good thing that the conversation did not go any longer, or I might be having to worry about…"

Sven shook his head. It hadn't gone any further and he was more than thankful for that small favor.

Massaging his temples, Sven thought of a memory that would stay with him for as he lived…

Finally the war itself was over. The Casket of Ancient Winters had been secured and would be taken back to Asgard.

"Damn cold, even for Jotunheim, is it not little brother?"

Turning around, Sven saw his brother Haakon. There were rents in his armor from the swords of the Frost Giants. Mercifully he seemed to be relatively unharmed. He'd been off on a patrol to do some mopping up.

They may have spoken more but for an interruption from Feykir. After giving them both a brief bow, "My Lords, there has been an altercation between the Einherjar and our own troops."

Both brothers rolled their eyes. It would seem that even after many millennia relative peace after the Aesir-Vanir War, things would always be tense between Asgard and Vanaheim.

Taking a breath, Haakon grumbled, "I had hoped that our troops would behave themselves." Turning to his younger brother, Haakon said, "I'll go handle it."

Sven nodded. He was about to do a patrol of the surrounding area on his own. Even though the Jotuns were long gone from the area.

He was about halfway through the circuit when he heard something that was truly out of place on a battlefield. The cry of an infant.

Following the sound quickly, Sven drew his sword in preparation for a fight. It was likely a trap, but it wasn't something he could ignore.

"Stay your sword son of Olaf. You will find no trouble here."

Sven turned around, sword still drawn, before bowing out of reflex. It was Odin. And he had a baby in his arms. The child was blue. A frost giant.

Finding his voice through his shock, Sven said, "The child is small for a Jotun. I can imagine why they would leave him." Even though it disgusted him. Leaving a child to die was high on Sven's list of things that should not be done.

"What do you intend to do with the child?" Sven asked. He hoped that Odin was not intending to kill the baby.

"I will be taking him to Asgard and raise him alongside my son Thor as my own. If you value your life, you will say nothing about what you have seen. Tell no one, not your father, your wife, and especially not your brother." Odin smiled slightly at that.

Sven nodded before replying, "My brother's tongue gets well oiled when he's drunk. You have my word. I will say nothing."

Coming back to the present, Sven shook his head. Now was not the time to get embroiled in specters of the past. He had his daughters to deal with. He'd already come up with a punishment for Hanna. She would have to muck the stalls of the horses.

###

Hanna approached the corner of the hallway leading to her room. She was looking forward to getting cleaned up and soaking in a nice warm bath. And burning the tunic and breeches she was wearing shortly thereafter. As she turned the corner, she noticed something unusual. To her surprise, there was a small green candle sitting in the middle of the hallway. This was not the type of candle that her family typically used. They ordinarily used long tapers that would burn for hours. This candle was only about 6 inches tall but was fat. There was no base under it. It just sat there like it was completely normal for a little green candle to be found in the middle of the floor. She approached the candle with a smirk on her face. The servants had almost certainly placed it there as a joke. She occasionally would catch two or three of them in a battle to best each other. Once she even helped. The maid had successfully embarrassed a few of the butlers in front of the family, although that part was unintentional, so they conceived of a plan to get revenge. Hanna discovered the plot and quickly agreed to participate. The candle was not part of the plan, but who knew what they'd come up with on their own.

But moving it could make the whole scheme all the more fun to watch. Just as just approached the small object, she bent down to grab it. Surprisingly, it moved quickly and quietly a few inches away, just far enough to be out of her reach. Hanna straighten up and glanced around. There was no string attached that she could see. The rug definitely did not move as she stood on it as well. Looking around, she saw no one. Her eyes slide back down to the suspicious candle. She reached for it again and again, it slid a few inches away. It almost had a personality. The wick was pointing at her as if laughing, mocking her inability to pick it up. Taking a deep breath, sure one or more of the servant were watching her play this little game with their candle, she stood upright but kept her eyes on that green mockery. She listened for giggles or whispers that would tell her where the conspirators were. Instead, she heard nothing. So she stepped back and glanced down the hall from whence she came. Nothing. No one. She was not going to be the center of this little joke. Besides, she had a nice, long, and hot bath to look forward to.

Determined not to be made a fool of, she turned back towards her room. A figure was now at the end of the long hall, just past her room. From the distance and shadows, she could not tell if it was her brother or her father. She took in a breath to speak. The figure held out a hand immediately silencing her voice. Hanna just stared. The figure stepped forward barely breaking the light. Loki. Hanna recognized him. He had piercing green eyes that could see deep into the soul of a person. At least that is what she felt under his gaze. And his eyes were steady on her. His face was relaxed, almost amused. The corners of his mouth were ever so slightly pulled up, so small to notice that Hanna wasn't entirely sure he was smiling. Without taking his eyes off her face, he pointed to the candle sitting between them. Hanna looked down at the small wax column as it began to move towards her. She reached down again to pick it up. Just as her fingers touched the smooth wax, it retreated away back out of reach. Now she knew it was he who was manipulating her. Hanna looked at Loki. Except for moving his hands behind his back, he had not moved. His body was still as a statue. She could not even tell if he was breathing. She began to wonder if he was really there. She heard and knew from firsthand experience that he was a master at illusion and deception.

Staring at him, she concentrated on his image, looking for anything to provide a clue to the reality of the situation. He again motioned to the candle. Hanna looked at the wick, realizing that Loki wanted her to light the candle. She felt the fear and reluctance spiking in her chest. The image of her sister flashed in her mind. The flames. The screams. The close call. But this was Loki, son of Odin, the ruler of Asgard. Could she really refuse him? It was just a small candle. One little insignificant flame. So she concentrated on the wick, seeing the energy underneath the surface. Channeling her focus, a small wisp of smoke seeped from the tip of the wick. Then a spark as her eyes squinted slightly. Her fingers curled into tight fists as a larger spark sprang to life. An audible hiss fizzed as the flames exploded high into the air.

Loki smiled mischievously as he watched the strong focused expression on Hanna's face melt into panic as the flames hungrily lapped at the air, searching for something to consume. Both of her hands extended in front of her now, her mind pressed against the flame, nudging it back down towards the candle. Slowly, after what seemed like an eternity to Hanna, the monstrous flame had been reduced to a small glimmer at the end of the wick.

She stared at the dancing little flame as it happily swayed back and forth. Never before had she controlled the flame in this manner. Typically, it would grow into chaos until someone threw a bucket of water on it. Suddenly remembering she had an audience, she quickly concealed her expression of surprise and awe with a mask of confidence. Straightening her posture, Hanna proudly turned to face Loki, but he was gone. She glanced back down at the candle, but it too was missing. She was standing alone in the hallway, looking like a fool. Hanna rushed to the spot that was once occupied by her unexpected visitor, searching for clues as to where he went. Nothing. Confused, convinced that he was not actually gone, and suddenly exhausted; she sighed, pulled open the heavy wooden door, and entered her room to get cleaned up. They could probably smell her all the way in Alfheim.

Loki was indeed still there. He smiled at himself for testing her – and providing her with just enough assistance to control the fire. She was teachable. It was in her. If he had to teach someone, she would do nicely. He strolled around the house waiting for her to finish getting cleaned up. She was in a horrible state during their first encounter. The smell lingered in his nose. Speaking to her will be easier once she is presentable. He played the conversation he would have with her in his mind. She would accept his tutelage, when he asked. It was going to be interesting after all.

A/N 2: So… What do you all think? Next chapter, Hanna and Loki will actually speak to each other.