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“Your Highness… Your Highness!” Fulla peeped around the door of Frigga’s room. “I apologise. But, Your Highness, he has done it again! Please, come quickly!”
Frigga put down her cup of Midgardian tea and jumped up to follow her lady-in-waiting. It was typical! She had been playing with her son all morning and had taken a short break for a sit down and a cup of tea while Fulla took over, and now the little scamp had displayed his marvellous gift while she was gone! Fulla had first told her of it a few weeks ago and then again just last week, but the Queen of Asgard had never seen it. “Oh, I hope it has not gone!” She cried, “I have yet to see evidence of this, Fulla!”
“Hurry, Majesty, hurry – it was really strong…” Fulla bolted off down the short corridor that connected all the Royal suites in the direction of the rooms shared by Thor and his new brother Loki. Frigga hoisted up her skirts and ran after her, laughing in excitement.
They slowed down when they reached the door and got amused glances from the guards outside. Fulla placed a finger on her lips as she pushed it open slowly. Like two mischiefs in cahoots with one another, they craned their necks and peered round the carved wooden door to see if they could catch sight of the wonder that Fulla had first mentioned a while ago.
“Oh!” They both gasped and sucked in their breaths quietly as they looked on as Frigga was finally treated to an amazing view of what her lady-in-waiting had tried in vain to describe to her.
Loki was lying on a bearskin rug in the middle of the room, as Asgardian babies did, wriggling his legs, gurgling and looking around. But for this particular moment, when no one was around to distract him, he was making his own entertainment. His pudgy little hands were held up, pointing into the air just above him and he seemed to be reaching for something. That something was a butterfly. Only, it was not a butterfly. It was an image of a butterfly. A bright blue butterfly and it was flitting about just out of his reach. He gurgled and cooed as his fingers followed the pattern of its movements and the two women looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces. Friggas eyes were full of joy; she had seen it at last.
She had seen Loki use magic.
“Oh, Fulla,” She whispered, “it’s so beautiful!” They both looked on in wonder as the tiny infant then created another identical blue butterfly and made them dance in the air together. As the seconds passed, they grew more detailed, with iridescent shapes forming on their wings, feathery antennae on their heads and sparkling crystal proboscises from their mouthparts. As they flew in winding circles above the baby Prince’s head, fine shiny blue dust followed in their wake in a magical pattern. Frigga found tears forming in her eyes at the sheer delight of watching the raw, innocent, untamed and untrained blue magic emanating from her son’s fingertips and she let out an involuntary sigh.
At the sound of her voice, Loki’s head turned, searching her out and the magical display disappeared in a blue sparkling mist. Caught out, she emerged from behind the door.
“Hello, Loki!” She beamed and a huge smile lit up the face of the little boy instantly as he gurgled his happiness in seeing his mother. He reached towards her gah-gah-ing in his young voice and she picked him up and nuzzled him, chuckling as he curled his chubby little fingers in her hair, bringing it to his mouth to suck on it.
“Oh, Loki, I do not know if you understand how happy you have just made me,” She said, looking into his wide blue eyes, “but I knew there was magic in you somewhere.” She jiggled him up and down, making silly faces at him and he giggled back at her in the musical way babies do. As she turned him around in a circle, she came to a dead stop. Thor was standing in the open doorway with a play sword and shield grasped in his hands, staring at how his mother was playing so happily with his new younger brother.
“Hello Thor! Come on in and tell me of your day.” Frigga placed Loki back on the rug and beckoned to her older son. But he turned and ran away down the corridor.
“Go, Your Highness.” Said Fulla, “Go after him – Loki is fine here with me.” she turned to the baby Prince, “Aren’t you, my precious? Yes you are!”
Frigga hesitated a second, then ran to the door. She could see Thor storming off in the direction of the training grounds and she followed quickly. “Thor… Thor! She called, “Wait! I wish to talk to you!” The six year old slowed down a little, but did not stop; he was clearly upset. Frigga quickly caught up with him and placed her arm around his shoulders, which were already starting to grow broad, indicating he would have a fine warrior’s physique one day; something he may have inherited from his birth mother, Gaia.
“Thor, how are you my son?” She asked, “Have you been training hard today with your friends? I believe there is a competition coming up soon – are you entering it?”
“Yes, Mother.” Mumbled the golden-haired boy as he now trudged along next to her, tolerating her presence out of politeness and respect. Frigga took hold of him by the shoulders and stopped him, bringing him round to face her.
“You are upset, my darling, and I fear it is I who have caused it. Was it because I was with Loki?” She cupped the chin of her handsome young son and brought his face up so he would look at her. “Thor, you know I love you so very much – you are my world! But Loki has a place in my heart, too – it is more than big enough for both of you!” Thor tried to look away, but she moved back into his field of vision and smiled her most infectious Mother’s Smile. He could not resist and he eventually joined her, his blue eyes – just like his father’s – now looking at her full of love.
“Are you alright now, my son? Are you ready to tell me about your day?” They started to walk again, this time holding hands, and Thor spoke animatedly of how he had managed to beat Fandrall a few times and how the Weaponsmaster had said he could upgrade to a real (if blunted) sword soon if he carried on improving this quickly. Frigga listened attentively, like any good mother, and made encouraging remarks to the young warrior-Prince, but inside she burned to return to Loki to see if she could witness his magic again. Unfortunately, she would have a long wait until she saw Loki’s enchantments once more…