Magic and Mischief

The Girl and The Garden

Liv

A female given name. From Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, from Old Norse "hlíf," meaning "defense, protection; byrnie, shield" Influenced by the modern Scandinavian word "liv" meaning "life."

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Asgard 1365 A.D.

"Loki, look!" The girl whispered excitedly as sparks flew from her hands forming an image of a winged horse. Her eyes lit up with wonder reflecting the glow of the magic.

The two sat just outside the palace walls tucked behind a pillar not wanting to get into trouble. The use of magic on Asgard was never forbidden, but there were still rules. However, being children, their curiosity often triumphed over their intentions of abiding by those rules.

The girl giggled. "Come on then," she encouraged him. "Your turn."

Loki flicked his wrist and conjured up soft green flames that danced in his hands. He smiled at the girl in front of him who had quickly become his closest companion. While Thor was off fighting imaginary battles, Loki was perfectly content wandering the library or playing the occasional trick on his brother. Until he met her.

Loki had been sneaking around the palace corridors when he heard whispered laughter coming from a room he didn't recognize. The door was left ajar and through it he could see Frigga holding another pair of hands in hers, magic sparkling around them. "Wonderful!" Frigga exclaimed.

"I did it!" A small voice cheered.

Loki peeked in and saw a girl smiling at his mother.

"There's no need to hide, Loki. You may come in," Frigga beckoned him without taking her eyes off of the girl.

Once inside the room, he saw that the girl was not much younger than him. She had hair as pure as the earth and eyes that sparkled like the galaxies that surrounded Asgard. She jumped up in a hurry, curtsying as he walked up to them.

"What are you doing?" He looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, brushing the skirt of her gown.

"There's no need to curtsy," he told her, shifting uncomfortably in place. "I'm not royalty."

"Don't be silly," she smiled at him. "You're the prince of Asgard!"

Frigga smiled at the exchange between the girl and her son. "Loki, this is young Lady Liv. Lady Liv, this is my son Loki."

"An honor, your highness," she said giggling, giving another small curtsy.

Loki's lips curved up in a smile, his small frame arched over as he bowed. "A pleasure, Lady Liv."

"It's beautiful," Liv said, her voice centering Loki and pulling his mind out of his memories. Her eyes followed the flames as she leaned closer, her little hand drawn to the light.

"Liv, no!" The flames in Loki's hand flickered away as he tried to comfort her while she cried, withdrawing from his touch. Unsure of what happened, he shouted for help.

Frigga came running from the palace followed by several maidens. She knelt down and took Liv's hand gently in hers. "Oh, Loki. What happened?"

"I don't know, Mother," he cried, tears pooling in his emerald eyes. "We were showing each other our magic and then she...I...Mother, did I hurt her?" His tears overcame him and he clung to Frigga. He watched as the maidens wrapped the girl's hand in bandages and carried her away.

"Now, now," Frigga soothed Loki, stroking his hair. "She will be fine, but you must give her time to heal, alright?"

Loki nodded.

"Good. Now, come. I think I know what will make you feel better." She took Loki by the hand and guided him to her garden overflowing with flowers, each of them blooming as they entered. Picking a blossom off of the vines, Frigga placed it gently in Loki's still trembling hands. "If you feel you ever need to escape for a moment to breathe, you may come here," she gestured around her.

"What is this place?" Loki asked his mother, taking in the beauty around him.

"This, my dear Loki, is our secret garden."