All The Little Pieces

The Library

"Careful, don't trip." Loki paused on the steps as Elizabeth stumbled on the hem of her dress.

"I'm fine. We don't wear dresses everywhere on Earth, I mean Midgard, well, I guess some people do, I don't." Elizabeth flushed and grabbed a handful of her skirt. She reached the top of the stairs and followed Loki to a set of tall bronze double doors.

Loki threw open the doors with a flourish. "Here it is, the royal library of Asgard!" He smiled broadly at his own dramatic introduction.

Elizabeth stepped in, eyes wide. Soaring windows rose from the floor to the high ceiling, illuminating the expansive room. Books of every size lined the walls and filled tall shelves. Chairs and small tables with candles were scattered throughout the front of the library, while more shelves and reading tables sat toward the back.

"It's exquisite!" She instantly clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud."

"It's fine," said Loki. "It's empty. In truth, I'm really the only person who spends much time here, which is silly, I suppose, because one room in my chamber is also wall to wall books..."

"No, no, not silly at all. That's wonderful!" Elizabeth craned her neck, trying to take in all parts of the room at once. "You can never really have too many books."

"Come over this way." Loki beckoned to a group of shelves. "These are written in the All Tongue, so you will be able to read them. Most of the others are in Asgardian, or any number of other languages."

Elizabeth surveyed the book spines as she walked. "Ooh, this one looks fantastic, or maybe...no, this one here!" She picked up a heavy volume of Asgardian poetry and headed toward a chair, then stopped and looked back at him. "Do you mind if I read here for a bit?"

"I was hoping you would," Loki said. "I'll be back there trying to find several books." He waved a hand in the direction of the tall shelves at the rear of the room. I'll return after a while. Take your time and enjoy your reading."

Elizabeth settled into the chair and tucked her legs under her as Loki glided away. She cracked open the heavy cover, inhaling deeply the scent of paper and ink. It was familiar and steadying. Apparently an old book on Earth and an old book on Asgard felt and smelled very much the same.

The poetry was enchanting. The first two were battle epics, the third a love poem, but the fourth was tragic. A soldier, searching for the lord to whom he had sworn allegiance, reaches his lord's fortress to find it cold and abandoned. The lord is long dead, and the soldier's purpose is gone with him.

Elizabeth's vision blurred with unexpected tears while reading the lament. A rustle to her right made her turn. She blinked furiously and forced a happy expression. She hated her own tears and made it a rule not to cry into front of others. This week had brought more tears and emotions than she wanted in months, but all confined to her being alone. Last night she had barely gotten into her room before falling apart.

Elizabeth smiled in relief at the source of the rustling. A sleek black cat slipped toward her from the direction of the shelves. It came straight to her chair and leapt smoothly into her lap. The cat circled on her leg, then sat down, snuggling against her left arm and stomach. It looked up at her with liquid greenish gold eyes, then down at her book, and up at her again.

"Oh hello. Look at your sweet face. Yes, that's my book-" the cat placed a paw on the page. "Here, let me turn this-no, I can't? Okay, gorgeous, we'll stay on this page, then."

The cat stared up at Elizabeth and let out an insistent "meoooow!"

"You'd swear you want to be read to." She laughed at the almost hopeful expression on its face. "Fine, I'll read this one, but it's already made me teary once, just don't tell anybody." In answer, the cat wiggled closer and laid its head on her chest. Elizabeth cuddled it close, stroking the soft fur, and began reading.

They snuggled and read through the poem and five more after. Just when Elizabeth was starting to realize that her voice was tiring, the cat sat up, rubbed its head under her chin, purred, then leapt down and bounced away into the maze of shelves.

Elizabeth stretched and set down the book as Loki emerged around the corner of a bookshelf, balancing several books in his hand. He nodded at the volume beside her. "How did you like it?"

"I love it! It's some of the most striking poetry I've ever read," said Elizabeth. "One poem in particular reminds me of a favourite of mine from home."

"Which one?" Loki peered over her shoulder.

"Let's see...this one. It reminds me of The Wanderer-although, you probably aren't familiar with, what would you call it, Midgardian literature?"

Loki scanned the poem. "Ah, this is a favourite of mine as well. And no, the most recent time I visited your world, it was an experience I would like very much to forget. I did no reading, but I wish I could read your version of this one."

Elizabeth sat up straight. "I actually think I have it in my room. The only thing I managed to bring with me was a big bag of books. Ironically, I was in a library when the Bifrost pulled me here. I'm pretty sure that poem is in one of the books. I'll check tonight, but if you'd like to come read it, or I mean, if it's not weird for me to invite you in, um..." She trailed off awkwardly.

"Not at all." Loki shook his head. "Besides, even if others do think it odd, I'm the Prince of Asgard, I do what I want." He flashed a brilliant smile.

Elizabeth laughed aloud at the words, mesmerized by his grin. If he'd showed up on Earth and smiled like that before asking people to kneel to him, he'd be ruling the entire world right now. He wouldn't have even needed to bring an army.

She tore her eyes away from his smile and changed the subject. "So, I met a cat in here a little bit ago. Does he live in the library, or is he someone's pet?"

"Ah, him. He's in here quite often. He's a bit of a loner. Did he actually come near you? I've never really seen him show much affection before. He doesn't seem to like people."

"I would never have guessed that," said Elizabeth. "He jumped right up on my lap and let me pet him. I loved the snuggles. It was the best part of my day, well, I mean...this was great, too. The library, reading here-"

"It's fine. I know what you're saying. I'm glad." Loki's smile faded and he looked at her intently. "How are you, truly, if I may ask?"

Elizabeth focused on her hands, unable to meet his piercing eyes. "I was upset last night, but when I went to bed, I did sleep soundly. No dreams. I guess my mind subconsciously listened to what you said." She glanced up and attempted a smile.

"I'm glad. Dreams can be worse than a bad reality. I'm sorry for what your family on Midgard will be feeling, trying to find you."

She shook her head. "Don't be. It's only me. It was always just my dad and me, and he died almost two years ago. My landlady will look for me to pay the rent, but that's it. I moved recently, so I hadn't made any friends where I live."

"No boyfriend or lover-"

She cut him off quickly. "No, not for over a year."

Loki nodded. "I see. Forgive me for the question."

"No, thanks for asking. I appreciate it. Really." Elizabeth bit the side of her lip as she realized how flat her tone sounded.

Loki inclined his head silently and stood. "Come, it's close to dinner time. I'll walk with you, if it's all right with you. Don't forget to bring the book."