Among the Asgardians: The Goddess of Love

Knowledge

"No, that is not how you do that, Kathryn," Loki corrected, a small grin hiding on the corners of his mouth.

"You told me to do it this way," I argued, my breath huffy. "What makes this any different?"

"That is multiplication. What you have been doing is addition."

"I hate math," I grunted, my voice filling up with contempt.

"But it is necessary for you to learn. It'll come in time," he smiled, drumming his fingers on the table.

Loki had been secretly coming to visit me for two weeks now. Every night, he would come to me and teach me things. Sometimes it was math, sometimes it was a science or reading and writing. But my favorite thing to learn about was the history and culture of the other eight realms. I knew quite a bit about Jotunheim's culture, and the culture of the Chitauri people of Vanahiem, but I knew nothing of the culture of the native Vanans or anything of the surrounding realms. Loki was happy to tell me anything I was curious about, which was usually something regarding Midgard.

I was fascinated by Midgard. Its culture was intriguing, and its people were extremely primitive compared to the other eight realms. Loki told me about its council of rulers, an organization called "The United Nations," and about its protectors, a group called SHEILD. He also told me SHEILD kept the other realms a secret from the rest of the humans. The Midgardian ambassadors were all members of SHEILD and all shared the name "Agent."

He also told me about the way their people had come to being. How Odin had saved the human race from Laufey the frost giant, and how the Asgardians had given them fire, writing, crops, language, government, and protection in return for honor and respect. The Asgardians had given the Midgardians so much that the early culture of a land called "Europe" had been modeled after Asgard. The Europeans had worshiped the Asgardians as gods.

Loki told me of lands called "Greece" and "Egypt" which had been overtaken by a larger country called "Rome," which had almost wiped out all the culture the Asgardians had given the Europeans, but had added its own unique culture to the region, and helped them grow as people.

He told me of the culture of Rome, and how it had gained power through the use of slaves and how the empire almost fell when they revolted. I was intrigued by this part. The Midgardians had no slaves from other realms. They were cruel to each other, enslaving their own species and treating them as if they were dieased. Loki even told me some of the Roman slaves had more knowledge than their masters!

"If the slaves were smart, why didn't they win the revolt?" I asked.

"Not all of them were smart, Lady Kathryn," Loki revealed. "Ignorance of the masses caused them to lose. Ultimately, the Romans were stronger and smarter than them, and it brought about their end."

"Is that why you're teaching me all this, your highness?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "I don't want you to have to live your life in ignorance just because it is the law. I want a better life for you because as your... friend... I care about you."

"I see," I smiled.

"And there is one more thing, Lady Kathryn," he added. "Call me Loki."

Time rolled on like the lengthening shadows in the afternoon, foretelling the coming night. I learned quickly. Extremely quickly. It astounded Loki at how fast I learned. In the space of just a year, I had progressed from simple addition to Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, and other maths and sciences. From barely knowing how to write my name, I discovered I loved to write sonnets and short stories, and learned to recite the works of a Midgardian author named "William Shakespeare."