Part One - A New Beginning (Loki x Reader)

Chapter Ten - Horse Race

     She smiles, closing her eyes and Loki takes her hands.

     "Just follow my voice. I promise I will not let you fall or hurt yourself."

     "I know that, Loki. I trust you."

     Loki blinks in surprise at her words before a big smile lights up his face, his eyes twinkling with happiness. He squeezes her hands with his own and her smile widens as she squeezes back. He gets closer to make sure she isn't taking a peek. He leads her slowly past the trees making sure she doesn't trip and that she has sure footing before taking another step. They come to a stop at a spot in front of the center of this small waterfall-fed lake. He steps to the side so he's not directly in front of her and lets go of her hands.

     "Alright. You can open them."

☙~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~❧

     I open my eyes and gasp. A small waterfall comes down and fills up a clear lake at the base of the mountain. At the highest part of the mountain, there's a small opening that sticks out where the water falls out. I walk closer to the water, kneel down, and stick my hand in.

     "Oh! The water isn't as cold as I thought it would be. Is there a river nearby? How is the water falling from that part of the mountain? That doesn't make any sense. Is it magic?"

     "For all I know, it might be. I have not climbed the mountain or tried to explore it to see where the water is coming from. I only recently found it but what happens with the water does not make sense to me either."

     I take my hand out and wipe it on my hands as I stand back up. "What do you mean? What happens to the water?"

     "The water changes temperature. I discovered this place earlier this year when the cold was beginning to change. The water was still warm. I have been able to come a few times before you came to stay at the castle. As it got warmer, the water got cooler. I actually have swum in that water before when I have been out for a long ride. Silfrtopp has also cooled down in these waters."

     "Was the water cooler than it is now?"

     Loki bends down and puts his fingers in it before pulling them out. He looks up at me and nods.

     "We need to come back and spend all day exploring this mountain and where the water comes from. That way we can try and figure out how it gets warmer when the days are colder and colder when the days are warmer."

     Loki stands up as he asks, "What if we never figure out why it does what it does?"

     "Then we can say it's magic and just have fun in the water."

     Loki chuckles. "Alright, Kyrie. I like this plan, though we cannot start today."

     "Aw. Why not?"

     "Well, we do have some food with us but if we explore we may miss dinner."

     "That's a good point. We definitely can't miss dinner."

     "Would you like to sit in the shade under the tree behind us and eat some of the food I brought with us?"

     I nod. "I'll help you carry the food over."

     Loki grabs a blanket which he hands to me and he unties the satchel that has our food from the saddle on his horse. We open the blanket and sit down before we go into the satchel. Loki holds it open so I can grab the wrapped food and set it on the blanket. There's half a loaf of bread, some cheese, two apples, and grapes. There's also a container filled with water.