Out of reach • A Loki fanfiction

Chapter 10 - Hold me

'Sixth floor, East wing.'

It was all Loki had written down for her yesterday, in elegant, bold black letters only royals must be able to write in. And it was enough to go and find this meeting spot.

What Era hadn't realised until crawling into bed the previous night was the extra book stacked on top of the old. It came undoubtedly from Loki, who had left it there as he was snooping trough her stuff. But it had been worth it. Because it left her a whole new book. A book she couldn't keep her nose out of, and a book she was still reading while climbing the first sets of stairs.

'Asgard and its treasures' by Gunnar Solveigson.

If it hadn't been for Gertrud making her morning during breakfast with a hug and her company, Era would've finished it twice by now. This book was the literal translation of what she had been dying to read for a while now. It contained stories, Asgardian mythology and legends, explained the Aesir's way of life and culture, and was amusing yet wildly informative.

It wasn't illegal for Era to walk up these stairs. However, her walking those hallways so openly would cause for her to be politely send away for sure. As an excuse, Era would use the 'I'm so sorry I got lost' card, but to prevent that, she regretfully hooked Loki's book under her arm, put on her hood, and slipped unnoticed from one pillar to the other.

It was almost fun sneaking up the stairways like that. As if back to playing hide and seek with Harald.

Entering the sixth floor, Era was met by a giant hallway, containing multiple doors. But there was only one door on her right hand. And that set of double doors exactly, was the one that stood out compared to all the others. An entrance crafted out of beautiful wood, decorated with elegant, golden pieces. Definitely royal. Definitely not meant for Era. But the lit torches, and the little light coming from underneath the wood told her that this massive room was occupied. And if it wasn't Loki, he seriously sucked at giving directions on where to go.

So she turned the handle, and walked in.

And what she walked into, was a room indeed.

A massive library, books stacked on wooden shelves from the floor up to the two levelled high ceiling. A library, close to being a maze, with shapes and turns which would lead the reader to yet another path. Sure, she had seen libraries before. Her own home contained one too, but it was nowhere compatible with this one. And then these books... just standing close to a wall of shelves, with her fingers tracing the syllables of every spine, she knew this wasn't Vanir. Nor Asgardian.

"The elves."

Era turned herself around, her hands back to her own as she looked into Loki's eyes.

"This is Alfheim's section." He made her the wiser, gesturing to the ceiling Era couldn't believe she hadn't looked up at before.

"Wow." She whispered, as she took in the colours she found there. It could all be seen high on the ceiling, connecting walls which were likely about two floors in height. The high ceiling was painted on. A beautiful, huge, well-known tree: Yggdrasil. A tree that divided all the 9 realms. And exactly underneath every painted one stood those realm's books. Asgard at the top, Helheim at the bottom, and every other realm at its own given space.

Loki walked up from behind her, following her eye's path to the ceiling, then down at the sections. "Not every realm has as big of a section as the other."

Era traced his pointed finger to the name of Muspelheim, then to the little space beneath it.

"Fire giants, for example, don't exactly write. So whatever book is stored there, comes from any other explorer, having written about the fire realm itself."