Chapter 7

Loki's POV

I woke up late into the night, rolling over and trying to ignore whatever had disturbed me. A small scuffling came from the corner. I opened one eye to find the child staring at Ebony's bookshelf. I sighed and sat up, pushing my hair out of my face. "Child, what are you doing?" I asked.

She turned with a muffled yelp. "Can I get a book?"

I looked over at the clock with a sigh. "It's three thirty. You shouldn't even be awake, especially not at such an ungodly hour." I lay back down, hoping she would leave me. "Go back to sleep." I waited but there was no noise. Turning, I found her curled up on the floor beside the couch. I was really hoping she'd just go back to sleep. I liked her, she was smart and energetic. But I was tired and had had my fill of excited chatter for the day. I sighed again and nudged her shoulder. "What do you want?"

She looked up at me, her green eyes holding all the innocent childishness mine may once have had. "Mama always reads me a bedtime story. Miss Gray forgot. Can you read me one?"

"I feel you a bit old for a bedtime story."

"I'm six."

"I suppose not." I muttered. She looked up at me with expectant eyes. Once I sat up, she stood and crawled onto the bed, placing herself under my arm and pressed close to my side. I expected to feel frustration or annoyance. But it was rather hard not to like this child. She held her bear close to her and waited. "What kind of story am I supposed to tell you then?"

"I don't know. Make one up. I want a princess story!" She smiled up at me.

"I don't know about any of those." I yawned.

"Well, what about a prince?"

"Only one. It's not a very nice one. Not really a bedtime story."

"Tell me anyways." She curled into a tighter ball and looked up at me. I sighed and leaned back, thinking. How was I supposed to tell her my story without frightening her?

"How is this supposed to start?"

She giggled. "You're not good at this, Loki. You start with 'once upon a time.' And then it should have a happy ending. And he has to fall in love. And there has to be magic." I felt a smile tug at my lips. Magic. That was the easy part. Very well.

"Once upon a time, there was a young prince. He lived in a grand palace made of gold, with his mother and father and older brother. This prince was always a bit different. He looked different and was quieter than everyone else. Everyone else was a warrior, a mighty fighter of some sort. But the prince wasn't good at that. He wasn't strong enough and he didn't like to fight. But he was good at magic. He loved to play tricks on everyone, especially his brother."

She interrupted me. "What kind of tricks?"

I thought of a simple one for a moment. "He never stopped falling for this." I waved my hand and a clone of my younger self appeared across the room. "He would pretend to be in one place, lure his brother into a closet, and then lock him in for a bit. All in good fun, of course." Back then, it had been just for fun. Thor had taken it well, always the forgiving brother. Lily stared with wide eyes and a gaping mouth as my clone grinned and disappeared in a plume of green smoke. It was late. She would tell anyone about my powers and everyone would dismiss it as childish fancy - something she saw in a dream and thought was real. I continued my story.

"The prince grew up to be very lonely. No one wanted him around and he was always second best to his brother. He became angry one day, after a terrible battle. His brother had been banished and now... something wasn't right. He went to his father and demanded to know the truth. Why didn't he look like everyone else? Why did he seem, even a little bit, like the enemy they had fought that day? His father told him everything. He was not his real son. He was found alone and raised as though a prince of this kingdom he had called home. It should not have been a surprise. He had always been different. Yet, to know this..."

I looked down to find her staring up at me, wide-eyed. She motioned for me to continue. "He was angry and sad all at once. And so, foolishly, he tried to get his revenge. He stole the throne from his father and refused to allow his brother to return home. He wanted to rule the kingdom well and destroy their enemies so that he could prove to his father that he was just as good as his brother. But he failed. He failed miserably. His brother returned and they fought. Magic against strength, good against evil, they fought for their kingdom, for the pride of their father. And in the end, this prince was thrown from a bridge. He begged for understanding, for his father to approve. To accept. But it was not to be and so he fell. He let go and fell."

She jumped up at this. "No! He can't fall! He has to fight still. He has to meet the princess and they have to fight for the good side."

I smiled and sat her back down, shushing her lest she wake Ebony. "Hush and let me finish. He was a bad and lonely man in his once home. There would be no peace for him. But he woke up in another kingdom. And standing over him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen." She sat up now, grinning.

"The princess." She whispered.

"She had long, midnight black hair and fair skin. And grey eyes that shone in the light, brighter than the moon and stars combined." I thought myself exaggerating but it was a bedtime story after all. "She helped him to her home and nursed him back to health. And even though she knew what he had done, she let him stay. She was kind to him and never looked as though she was afraid or upset with his crimes." This was where I had to change things drastically. After all, this story needed an ending. And mine had only begun. "After weeks of her company, the prince wondered if he had begun falling in love with the princess. But, here is where you must finish the story yourself. How should he find out if she could love him?" I didn't love her, I knew that much. But I was quite... captivated, to say the least.

She sat up, grinning. "He has to woo her! He has to rescue her from the evil people and then write her a poem and then they have to ride horses at sunset. And he has to get her lots of pretty flowers and nice chocolates."

"And wwhat if she does not want all that?" Ebony was a simple woman, wooing her in traditional matters seemed overdone.

Lily thought for a moment, confused. Her green eyes lit up suddenly and she smirked at me. "Loki, what's the prince's name?"

Ah so she had caught on. "Does it matter?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's a secret."

"Then is the princess, Miss Gray?"

I feigned surprise. "What?! Of course not. She's not a princess."

She shook her head. "Watson, what do you think?" She looked at the bear and then nodded. "Me too." Looking back at me, "Loki, I think you're in love with Ms. Gray and you haven't told her."

I could not help but laugh. "You've caught me then. How did you know?"

"Fairytales are great, but I read Sherlock too. It's ele-elem..." She pouted, unable to remember it. I laughed.

"Elementary, my dear Watson."

She grinned. "Yeah! Okay, you have to woo Miss Gray. But she doesn't like fancy stuff. You gots to get her some chocolate and a sweatshirt. And wear it for a week. And then, when she's cold, give it to her. It'll be warm and smell like you. Mama likes it when Daddy does that. Miss Gray will too. And then you have to cuddle a lot and make her breakfast. And when you have a super nice dinner, confess you love to her!" She opened her arms wide and said this to the ceiling, grinning.

I chuckled and took my arm from around her shoulder. "Thank you for your much needed advice, Detective Jones."  She dropped to the floor and pulled Watson down with her.

She pouted. "I don't wanna go to sleep." I was about to argue that I needed my rest when a floorboard creaked. We spun around to find Ebony standing there, hugging herself against the cold.

"What are you doing up, Lily?"

Lily skipped to her. "Loki was telling me a bedtime story."

"At four in the morning?"

"Uh-huh. It was about a lonely prince and the princess who made him happy. He can tell you the story! It's really good. It's really sad in then start but then he meets the princess." She turned to me, smiling wide. I sat back on the couch and watched as Ebony rolled her eyes.

She picked up Lily and turned to put her back to bed. "C'mon you. Loki can tell me the story another day."

I sighed and lay back down, laughing at myself for asking the advice of a six year old. But Ebony was a fine young woman to create into the "princess." She was kind and though she could be rude at times, she was a warmth I had been missing in my life for some time. I had no one now, but she offered herself to fill the gap. What was not to like? If she would have me, I would stay. Love was another story. I wondered briefly if I remembered how to love.

I turned as Ebony came back into the room. She knelt beside the couch and smiled at me.

"Thanks for taking care of her. I never knew when she got up. She didn't bother you too much?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. It's quite alright."

She relaxed and moved to stand. "Okay. Thanks." Leaning back down, she placed a swift kiss on my cheek and then ran off to her room. I sighed and relaxed against the cushions. Well, if I got even a kiss on the cheek I'd be more than happy to do anything she liked.

Thor would laugh at me if he could see me now. I had mocked him for his sentiment over a mortal and yet look at me now. But I could not be too upset with the fact. I felt like things were falling into place. I much preferred this warmth than the anger that had filled me for so long. I listened to my pulse beat against the sheets where my neck met the pillow. It would seem I had a heart, after all.

End of Part 1