Mischievous

Chapter Twelve

        Who knew time could go by so quickly? Two months had passed since I'd first arrived in Asgard, and still, no one could tell me why. I guess there had been some sort of disturbance in the Nine Realms, and so Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three were continually traveling around the universe. However, I was stuck here with no place to go and nothing exciting to do. Most weeks comprised of lessons with Frigga in the morning, and, when she was around, combat training with Lady Sif. My banishment from the library meant I had no books to read — Though there may be a few lying around my chambers — and I didn't have any friends to hang out with.

        And so, life had been utterly boring. The one good thing I had going for me was that Odin had never discovered my whole dungeon incident. Thankfully, I'd never had to go back there either. Frigga was willing to let me join her in some of her discussions with Loki, but I never dared try to do the same myself. Sometimes she took a break during my lessons to chat with him. It had become commonplace for her to project both of us into his cell, but, at some point, I had decided to just be a tag-along. 

        I'd pick up a novel and read, avoiding any possible discussion. Was it the nice thing to do? No, but it wasn't like I was a saint or anything. Plus, it felt awkward to impose upon any of the time Frigga was spending with her son. But if she insisted I be there, I would be there. It didn't really make any sense, but maybe she thought he could use some other company. He was going to be stuck there forever, so we could at least try to help him maintain his sanity.

        My skills with daggers have significantly increased thanks to the constant lecturing of Sif. Without it, though, I'd still be clueless. She still thinks that I'm foolish for choosing such a weapon to use, but one of these days, I'm gonna prove to her just how useful they can be. It'd be exciting if I were allowed to join them on one of their missions. I was good at fighting, and though a ten-year-old didn't really belong in that situation, that wasn't to say it wouldn't be fun. My mental health was at risk if I didn't break out of this constant cycle of repetition.

        Along with becoming a skilled combatant, I was also on my way to being one of the best sorceresses in all of Asgard. At least, that was what Frigga kept telling me. She said that she's never met someone that can pick up magic as quickly as I. I'm pretty sure she means it as a compliment, but I keep worrying that something's wrong with me. Midgardians shouldn't be good at Asgardian things, right?

        Either way, the new tricks I had learned had proved quite handy in keeping myself amused. The guards always fell for the illusions. Sometimes they'd show just how stupid they really were by falling for the same thing within an hour. It made me see intelligence in a new light. But not everything I did was to be a nuisance. A couple kids from the surrounding village would come to the gardens once a week to have me perform.

        I'd let them develop a story, and I'd make the scenes they created play out before them. It was some of the most fun I've had during my time here. They always left with smiles on their faces. Odin told me that he'd heard nothing but good things from the families. So, it sounded like I wasn't going to be sent back to Midgard any time soon. Which was stellar, there was still so much mayhem for me to cause. I just had to be meticulous about when and where I did such things.

        For example, as of the moment, I was on my way to the servant's quarters. Lilja, who still attended me, though I thought of her as more of a friend, was waiting for me. We'd planned this out over a month ago, we simply hadn't had the time to do so. It helped that I had learned a lot more magic while we'd waited.

        Knocking four times on her door, in a pattern we'd arranged, I waited for her to respond. Four knocks resounded back, in the opposite order. Having received the proper confirmation, I entered the room.