Can You See Me? (A Loki FanFiction)

Chapter Seven

After my meeting with Frigga, the days became so cold and dark that training had been cancelled over the winter months, meaning that my mornings were often left free. Thor spent the cold mornings with Jane or his warriors, and I again was left to find something to entertain myself with. Occasionally I would meet with Frigga in secret, either in her study or in the library. She was an extraordinary woman, kind and gentle, but also fiercely protective and brave. The more we met, the closer I felt to the Queen.

However, if Frigga was busy, I would spend most of the mornings walking with Vall in the large gardens. The flowers were asleep and the trees were bare at this time of year, but I still felt at peace in the gardens, despite the frozen air.

One morning, as I wandered the cobbled pathways of the garden, I spotted Jane sitting on a bench by the pond. She was wearing a simple brown gown with a soft fur shawl to keep her warm. As I came closer, I noticed that she was hunched over a small, leather notebook, scribbling notes and sketches on the soft parchment.

Vall finally spotted her and barked excitedly, darting from my side and running over to her. She glanced up in surprise when he sat at her feet, licking her hands gleefully. Jane laughed at the beast and stroked him lovingly, chatting away to him like a child as I approached. She looked up at me and grinned.

"Fell, good morning!" She exclaimed, "Please, sit."

I smiled at her friendly nature, "Good morning, my Lady," I replied as I sat down beside her on the bench.

She rolled her eyes and waved hand, "Oh, please, call me Jane. That makes me feel so old."

I grinned and nodded, "Very well, Jane." I gestured down at the notebook in her hands, "May I ask what you are writing?"

She glanced down at her scribbles, "Oh, it's nothing. I just try to document everything I learn while I'm here." Jane chuckled little, "Though none of the scientists on Earth would believe me."

I frowned at the word, "Scientist? What's that?"

Jane glanced over at me with a thoughtful expression, "Well, someone who studies how the world was made, how it works, how we can preserve it." She laughed suddenly and I realised how confused I must have looked. I blushed a little but she continued, shifting in her seat to better face me. "Let me put it this way; I'm an astronomer, or I was. That means that I study the stars, and the worlds around them." She smiled, "It's how I met Thor."

Still frowning, I nodded, "Do you have many scientists on Midgard?"

Jane laughed, "Oh, yes! Millions of them." She smiled absent-mindedly, an almost sad look in her eyes, "I often forget that science is not as important here."

"Do you miss your world?" I asked and she nodded, looking up and into the still water of the pond.

"Yes, I had family and friends there once. They're all gone now," she murmured and reached over to scratch Vall's ear. "But my home is here now, and my family."

I remembered what Frigga had said, "Were you scared, when you first came here?"

Jane nodded, "Of course, I was terrified. But I was also so excited, this new world was fantastic, something out of a fairytale." She grinned, "And of course, Frigga was lovely."

I smiled at this, agreeing whole-heartedly, "Yes, she is. But what of Odin, did he accept you?"

Jane shrugged, "Not at first, but once he realised that I wasn't going anywhere, he started to come around. It took Loki years to get used to me though," I perked up a little at the mention of his name.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow and she nodded.

"Yeah, I guess he just wasn't used to having to share his brother's attention."