Chapter VI: Left Handed
A/N: Took a bit longer than I previously anticipated. I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks go out to theicemenace for her beta work. Enjoy the update! SSD
Upon getting back to the library, Loki turned around and asked Hanna, "Is there anything you can do with your magic without chaos unfolding?"
"There is one thing I can do," Hanna replied.
Making a motion with his hand, Loki commanded, "Then show me."
Knowing an order when she heard one, Hanna focused on the fireplace, calling the flames to her. As her hands became covered in the flames that had turned a dark blue, Loki asked, "Are the flames always blue?"
Hanna nodded her reply. She really needed to keep her focus. She began to form the small fireball. As it got to the size of an orange, Loki noticed that Hanna was beginning to slow down.
"Can you not make it any bigger?" He asked.
"This is the biggest I can make it without risking chaos." Hanna replied. Though she had always wondered if she could possibly make them larger.
"Try making it bigger." Loki commanded. Hanna needed to push her limits if she was to have any kind of true power at all.
Swallowing her fear, Hanna began pouring some more energy into the fireball, taking the energy from fire to make it bigger. Things seemed to be going smoothly for a change.
Until a few moments later, when the fireball was about the size of a grapefruit, and it took on a growth rate of its own. Before either of them could say anything, it grew to the size of a watermelon, and exploded with such a force that it blasted them to opposite ends of the room.
###
Loki got up first. After taking an appraisal of the damage, he noticed that some of the drapes were either on fire or horribly burnt. He put out the flames that were still burning, but conceded that those that were horribly burnt were write-offs. There would be no repairing them.
Upon hearing a muttered, "Oww" Loki turned in that direction. Hanna was in process of standing up. She was taking in the damage with wide eyes.
"I think we will be practicing outdoors for the foreseeable future. Practicing indoors with fire was not one of my better ideas." Loki said with a smirk.
Looking around and taking in the badly burnt drapes, Hanna said, "Sorry about the drapes."
"It is alright. I am certain that Mother will be as forgiving as I am."
As Hanna paled at that, Loki snickered before saying, "Don't worry. I did much worse things when I was first learning how to work magic. Come. We'll go outside to prevent a repeat of the burning drapes incident…"
Hanna did not need to be told twice. She followed him outside rather quickly.
###
That was the routine for the next several weeks which led into a few months: Practicing outside in mornings, getting her fireballs under better control and with her afternoons spent reading.
Loki had not brought up the incident that had knocked some sense into him in regards to the lessons. Hanna was quite grateful for that, as she was embarrassed that she had been caught, by the queen of all people. Though she was not so foolish to believe that he had forgotten it, she knew it would come around again.
The fire balls were now the size of melons, and Hanna could maintain two of them at once at that size without getting too drained. She could also make a third one, but it was still only the size of an orange.
As she was slowly getting the two fire balls spinning around, she heard Loki's voice behind her, "We're doing something different today. Follow me."
Turning around, she saw that he was leaning against one of the pillars. Or so it seemed. Hanna had been trying to tell whether this was actually Loki or one of his duplicates he would make of himself on occasion.
Deciding that she would eventually figure it out on her own, Hanna decided to follow him where he led. It was not like she could do anything else. She was curious to see what Loki had in mind for today.
###
As it would turn out, now that she could maintain the fireballs, Loki wanted her to practice throwing them. When Hanna looked at him in shock, he explained, "Your abilities lend themselves to being used to attack, you have to work on your aim."
Hanna focused in the air above her left hand, for some reason it was easier with that hand than the other. A short time later, the blue ball of flame was at its biggest sustainable size.
She looked to Loki for further instruction, who then said, "Well, throw it!"
Hanna took a deep breath and tried to throw it towards the target. Instead it went backwards! She could feel her face burning in embarrassment among other things. Hanna did not turn around and face Loki.
"You are lucky that I got a shield up in time." Loki muttered. He'd had a feeling that her aim was going to be bad to begin with, but not as bad as this.
"You do realize that the target is in that direction?" Loki asked as he pointed down the range at the old arrow target that he had borrowed.
"I do." Hanna replied, making eye contact with him.
"Good. Now do that again and try to at least get near the target down range," Loki ordered.
If there was anything that Hanna had learned about magic, was that repetition was key in learning how to use it properly. It was exhausting, but it seemed to be well worth it. Her magic was behaving itself (especially compared to how it used to be!)
###
About a week later, Hanna was hitting the target consistently. There were still a few fire balls that went haywire, but those were getting fewer and fewer.
There had been no close shaves with anyone getting harmed by her fire balls. Hanna was quite thankful for that!
She should have realized that things were going *too* well.
As she let a fireball loose down the range, of course Thor had to come looking for Loki, and was walking in asking, "Brother I…" As he saw the fire ball coming right at him, he ducked and rolled to avoid it.
###
As Thor rose to his feet again, he took in the scene before him. His brother was laughing and Hanna looked completely mortified, her face was completely ashen.
Hanna opened her mouth to say something, but no words could come out of it. She had nearly set the crown prince of Asgard on fire, and Loki was laughing uproariously.
"Brothers." Hanna thought, briefly allowing herself to roll her eyes before saying, "Your highness, I am so sorry about that…"
"It is alright, Lady Hanna. It was an accident." Thor replied. A few moments later, Loki said, "That's enough for today. You still have some books to read by the end of the week."
Having a feeling that he wanted to talk to his brother, Hanna left quietly, making almost no sound.
###
"She seems to be becoming quite talented, Loki. It is hard to believe that she has only been here a few months."
Loki had not really kept too much track of the time. The days had a good routine to them. While Hanna was getting better, the fire balls were still going out of control far too often for his liking.
"And more than likely, too often for her preference as well," Loki thought. Hanna held herself to a high standard. His brother was talking about something, but Loki was not paying much attention.
Loki also had not forgotten how Hanna had gotten him to teach her properly. He had not said anything about it, for the moment anyway. The opportunity had not yet presented itself for him to mention it again.
And when it did, Loki was quite sure that Hanna would turn several different shades of crimson.
"So brother, when do we all get to meet your apprentice?" Thor asked.
"You just met her already Thor." Loki replied dryly.
"You know what I mean, Loki."
"Everyone will meet her when I am ready for them to meet her." Changing the subject Loki got Thor onto a discussion about a sparring match.
###
Several hours later, Hanna was still in the library reading. She had not even stopped to eat. The books she was reading were quite fascinating, much more so than the ones Loki had used to try to get her to give up on learning magic.
Hanna immediately stopped that line of thinking, knowing where it would eventually lead to. She should have realized at the time that they were not likely to have been as alone as she may have preferred.
"Studying late will not earn you any extra points with me, Hanna."
Not even looking up, Hanna replied, "I am reading late because I want to. Not out of any desire to try and impress you." She began to put the books away in the stack on the table that she had set aside as hers. Hanna was getting tired.
Of course, this would be the time that he brought up what had happened a few months back. Loki began with,
"A short time ago, I was thinking about what you were implying you would do if I taught you correctly."
Hanna paled. This was exactly what she was afraid of. But there was nothing to do but brazen it out.
Laughing at how pale she had become, Loki continued on, "I am not going to collect on what you offered."
Hanna nearly breathed a premature sigh of relief before he snickered, "One day you will make good on your innuendos. And you will do so willingly."
Hanna had been making her way out the door before she replied, "In your dreams, God of Mischief." Though she could feel that her face was bright red.
###
Loki liked that she would fire right back at him something of her own. It was one of the reasons, he had made a show of picking her in the first place. Hanna would never be dull.
A/N 2: So… What did you all think? You all didn't think that Loki would forget how Hanna got him, did you? ;) SSD