Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

“Mrs Fjolnir, may you please help me with this?”

One of the children raised his hand, the other pointing at a comic he was reading. The teacher stood up and reached him, bowing down next to his desk and asking him what he needed.

“How do I say this word, Mrs Fjolnir?”

“This is ‘Mjolnir’, Ben. Try and repeat it.”

“Mjol-nir”, the child stuttered, smiling, “Thank you, Mrs Fjolnir.”

“You’re welcome. I see you guys love reading those comics during break, don’t you?”, she said, turning to look at the whole class.

“They are amazing!! There is Thor, he is super strong and he defeats all the bad guys with - …Mjolnir!”, Ben exclaimed.

“It sounds great! And… let’s see, Sara, tell me something about this guy. He looks nice.”

“Nice?”, the little girl laughed, “That is Loki, Mrs Fjolnir, he is not nice.”

“She is right”, another student stated, ”He is Thor’s brother, and he is evil.”

The woman was both surprised and amused.

“Evil, you say? Well, I don’t think anyone can be completely evil.”

“Trust us, he can”, said Sara.

“But Thor will smash him with his hammer!”, Ben said with enthusiasm, and the teacher could not help but smile.

“Come, come. If they are brothers, you’ll see that they will end up getting along.”

That afternoon, Mrs Fjolnir left school and joined her friends to a cafe where they used to meet, talk about their days and relax.

“You have no idea how scared I was!”

Ida’s voice could be heard from the entrance. Liv had no trouble finding her friends.

“Did he really eat that?”, Liv’s roommate, Ella, looked deeply worried.

“I thought he did. Luckily, it turned out Chiara had swapped the labels on the vases. She thought it’d be fun.”

“Actually, I would have given anything to see your face”, Liv said, and took a seat next to Sif.

“Hello Liv”, she said dryly.

“Serious as usual, aren’t you?”

“You’re wrong”, Sif answered, “I laugh a lot.”

Liv raised an eyebrow, then greeted the other two.

Ida sighed, giving her a tired smile, “What surprises me is the other boy’s inability to discern between ivy and laurel. At this point, I wonder why I hired him in the first place.”

“Please Liv, tell us something about your class. Ida’s employees will cause her a stroke sooner or later…”, Ella begged her. She would have never thought that being a florist could reach such levels of stress.

“Ah, that is likely to happen”, her friend commented while tying her ginger hair in a ponytail.

Liv smiled.

“If you really want to know, my students decided to give me a lecture about Loki today. They say he’s wicked. Poor thing...”

Sif burst out into a laugh.

“Did you just say ‘poor Loki’? Oh, this is funny!”
Ella and Liv were confused, whilst Ida just stared at her friend with an annoyed expression.

“Did it really take this to make you laugh?”

“Do you have any idea of who he is?”

“Thor’s brother…? I know nothing more.”

“Look it up. Tomorrow you’ll tell me whether you still think he isn’t the worst being to have ever existed”, Sif insisted. Ida quickly shifted the topic of
their conversation, coming up with another story about her two new colleagues.

***

The next afternoon, after the lessons, Liv and the others met at the same cafè. The woman had spent the evening researching on her laptop and looking for information about the god Loki. She was more than satisfied with the few notions she had learned.
Sif started speaking before she even had the time to sit.

“So? Tell me, is Loki still an innocent soul?”

Ida sighed. She had not drunk enough coffee for that.

“I have to agree, he is mostly described as a negative figure, but he is more complex than that.”

Sif shook her head, but urged her friend to keep going.

“The gods themselves have their own flaws. Thor, first of all: we see lots of images of a ‘worthy God of Thunder’, ready to save people and also quite goofy- and that's alright, but that is in comics. I discovered that, in reality, Thor was something more similar to a brute, a viking with a long beard and a passion for destroying”, she chuckled, “ Then, Odin-”

Someone interrupted her. Rather luckily, as Sif looked as if she was barely keeping herself from saying something slightly nasty. Ida had put a hand on her shoulder, under Ella’s puzzled gaze.
A man was now standing in front of Liv, a notebook in his hands.

“Sorry for bothering you, ma’am, but I think you lost this”, and he handed her the notebook, which he had said was lying on the floor at the entrance.

“I opened it before understanding it could be yours, so… Loki, am I right? The material I found inside it was about him. Also, I heard you going on about Norse Gods”, he continued.

“Yes, um… Thank you, it is mine. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it had fallen...”, she thanked him with a smile.

Sif raised an eyebrow, saying she must have been busy thinking about how to criticise the main figures of Viking religion. Her words sounded harsh and sharp, leaving Liv at a loss of words.
The stranger seemed to notice that, and tried helping the poor teacher.

“Well, I find nothing wrong about that. Critical thought is what keeps society moving, isn't it? Sif, you said… It’s the name of Thor’s wife.”

“Indeed. But I did not tell you my name.”

The man looked her in the eyes for a moment, then smiled kindly.

“I must have heard it before realising the notebook was hers”

Sif had gotten calmer, looking at that man with narrowed eyes, and she apologised for her strong reaction.

“It’s just that… I grew up with those stories and myths, but yeah, I guess there is nothing wrong. It’s not like those gods really exist, am I right?”
Then, she took her bag and left, saying she had some tests left to be corrected.

Liv thanked that stranger once again, slightly shaken.

“Duty, ma’am. Goodbye”, and he got back to his table, alone.

The woman turned back to her friend, who did not say anything.

“I hadn’t ever thought about the possibility of hurting someone with… character analysis. I will have to apologize later… Also, do you know who that man was?”, she said, in a whisper.

“First of all, you don’t have to worry about Sif: she has a strong personality and we both come from a place where that kind of culture is really diffused. It’s like you’re demolishing the grandeur of those figures, which I am sure was none of your interests”, Ida reassured her.

“And as concerns that man”, the waitress, intervened, “His name is Lorenzo Grimaldi. He teaches history, which I personally think suits him. He was already a professor at the university on the other side of the road when I arrived, six years ago."

“He was already here... Why was this the first time I met him then?”

“He is a bit of a loner. I've never seen him talk to anyone, except for a couple meetings with some colleagues. He seems to be very much appreciated by the students, though.”

Liv was strangely curious about that man, and she could not find any reasonable motivation for that feeling. Maybe it was the fact his eyes had sparkled when he had given her her notebook back. Maybe, it was just plain curiosity, the one you feel when you meet someone new.
She didn't know why, but she felt like she had to know more about him.

However, she focused on her tea and on the following lesson she had to give her class: being a teacher in elementary school could be as funny as it could be stressful.

***

A couple days later, after a lesson, someone knocked on the classroom’s door: the janitor got in and handed Mrs Fjolnir a piece of paper. She thanked him and got back to her explanation. As soon as the students had started working, she opened the note and found herself pretty much surprised by what was written on it.

At the end of the lessons she greeted the class, complimenting them for their good work. She then reached the university in front of the cafe.

Wandering through the halls and corridors of the building, she looked for Mr. Grimaldi’s office. She eventually found it and gently knocked on the door.

“Get in”, the man said, from inside the room.

“Hello”, she stood in front of his desk, “You wanted to see me”, she said, but her tone sounded questioning.

“Of course, but there is no need to stand like that. Take a seat, you’re not a student”, he chuckled.

A bit embarrassed, she sat on a chair, “Yeah, sure. Just… I was wondering why I am here”

“You see, Mrs Fjolnir... I am genuinely curious about… you. I happen to be quite interested in Norse Mythology, and I could not help but appreciate your way of analysing the nordic pantheon. I asked the waitress for your name, if you happen to be wondering how I found you”, he smiled, and she relaxed. She did not know what to expect but this surely was better than anything else.

“Mr Grimaldi, I don’t actually know much about that topic, but I’d be very pleased to talk about it with you. I am in a bit of a hurry right now, though…”, she answered, looking at her watch. She had to go home in time to prepare dinner and clean up before her roommate came back from work.

“Sure. We will make time for it, I hope. Thanks for coming, by the way. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye”, she uttered, and left.

As she was driving through the city, she thought about the short and quite unusual meeting she had just had. He had been nice, she thought. She recalled the waiter’s words, who had mentioned the man’s tendency to be on his own. He was trying to be friendly, and there was definitely nothing wrong with that.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

It was nine o'clock on a cold Sunday morning.

Mr. Grimaldi was waiting for Liv in front of the university where he worked.

“Good morning.”

“Hi”, she said, getting out of her car.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine.”, she smiled, adjusting her scarf, “Did I make you wait long?”

He smiled and shook his head: “Not at all. Shall we change location? I know a cafe that is quite near.”

“Sure, we can go there! I haven’t had the opportunity to introduce myself yet, though. I am Liv.”

“My pleasure, Liv. I am Lorenzo.”

Five minutes later, they were sitting inside a little coffee shop, whose walls were made of wood and decorated with wonderful carvings and flower pots, scattered here and there.

Lorenzo convinced Liv to have a piece of cake - it was the best cake in the town, he had said. And while eating it, she had to admit he was right.

“It was nice of you to come here. I’m not used to hanging out with other fellow teachers. I think it’s because of my age...”

She stopped eating and looked at him.

“What do you mean? You don’t get along well with your co-workers? You look friendly, and definitely not old.”

“Trust me, I am, but thank you. Anyway, let’s say they don’t quite appreciate my method...”, he smiled, “So, ‘Liv’. Doesn’t it mean ‘life’?”

She nodded, both surprised and excited by the question. She was aware that her nickname had a meaning, but no one had really questioned her about it before.

“It does, Lorenzo. Should I call you this way? We’ve known each other for a couple days, and I wouldn’t want to be too intrusive.”

“Please, do call me Lorenzo. Just out of the school, if you find it too informal. May I ask you your surname, again?”

“Fjolnir.”

“What an important name you have! You know, it is often used as one of Odin’s names. It’s either the name of a god or… well, an ancient king who drowned in mead. You get to choose”, he chuckled.

She was amazed by that strange man. A couple days before she had not the slightest idea of who he was and was now listening to him in awe.

“It seems so.”

As soon as their tea arrived, she took a sip of it and looked at Lorenzo.
He had taken the menu and was now reading it with a pair of glasses he hadn’t got a few minutes before.
He didn’t seem old: he had red, quite long hair, a short beard and he almost had no wrinkles. His eyes were blue and they shined through the lenses. He could be thirty, or fourty - nothing too far from her age.

“Is there something wrong?”, he lowered the menu and she realised she was staring at him.

“No, no. Are- are you ordering some more cake?”, she could feel her cheeks turning red.

"Yeah...?"

"Oh, okay, fine."

He put it down and invited her to move closer.

“Come here please. As I said, I'm just not used to this. Don’t be scared, I just tend to be alone most of the time.”

Surprised, she moved her chair to the other side and asked: "Why do you think I'm afraid of you?"

“You were staring at me with a strange look in your eyes, as if I could jump up and stab you at any moment.”

“What a curious example.”, she laughed, “Well, I'm not scared and I was just looking at you. We'll have to get to know each other, won't we? Do not worry.”

“You're right: why don't we start right now? Tell me something interesting about you.”

She thought for some seconds and then: “My greatest dream is becoming a writer, and I am working on what could be my first novel; as you know, I am a teacher and I have worked in that school for about four years. Your turn.”

“Professor, no wife nor children. I read quite a lot. I don't like coffee and I love having conversations with new people - whenever they give me a chance.”

“Like me?”, she smiled.

“Like you. You know, most of the people I talk to are my students, which someone may find quite unusual for a man my age. Though, you are young, too, if compared to my old friends.”

“If you do not have any other intention but talking, I think that your students should not be excluded from the group of people to discuss with. Sure, others may find it weird but isn’t communication part of our duties, as teachers? Also, do you really think age is that important?”

“No, not really. I think wisdom comes with experience and the more time you spend living the more opportunities to experience new things you have, it all depends on you. You can be twenty years old and have the same wisdom of an old man who never poked the nose out of the door. It’s just… People generally scare me: they are a threat to everyone like me, to everyone who just wants to be themselves, without any possible hidden purpose. No one seems to understand this, and it caused no little trouble to me in the past years. Sometimes I wonder if it’s me who’s wrong…”

He had looked at her every second while talking and she couldn't help but feel, beyond the embarrassment, a little sad for him.

“I think I'm truly scaring you now, I'm sorry.”

“No, Lorenzo, you're not. It's alright, you're right. You know what? I completely agree with you. Now, what about we go for a walk? If there’s one thing I love is walking under the light rain that is now outside.”

“What about your roommate? You told me you had one, right?”

“Yes, but I am sure she won’t mind it if we stay out a little more.”

He nodded and followed her to the cashier, then outside. He curiously observed her looking up to the sky, the thin raindrops stopping on her black hair and eyelashes.

“Have you ever been outside England, Liv?”

“No, not yet. I have always wanted to visit Norway though, I heard it is breathtaking.”

“Absolutely. I have to say this place is not bad, too.”

While they were walking, the rain got heavier and, since Lorenzo lived quite far and had to reach the metro, she suggested they stayed at her place, waiting for the weather to get better.

***

“You brought a man in here?!”

Ella, her roommate, had burst into the kitchen, almost screaming.

“Dear, please be quiet, he is in the bathroom! Don’t be rude…”

“Rude? Me?”, she smiled.

“Liv, may you come here?”, Lorenzo called her.

“Yes, just a second! Ella, please bring the tea with you in the living room, I’ll be right back.”

She turned off the cooker and went to Lorenzo.

“How can I help you?”

“Is this your draft? It was next to the sink.”

“Oh, yes, it is. See? There’s my name, the title… I still haven’t came up with an idea for the cover, but-”

“Can I read it?”

She blushed: “Why would you?”

“Well, I like reading and I think this would be more fascinating than history books.”

“Oh, I see… I-”, again, she was interrupted by Lorenzo, who seemed to brighten up.

“I had an idea! Listen.”, he looked her in the eyes, ”What would you think if I read it to you? That would be awesome!”

She hesitated. Having her book read by someone… That was weird. And yet…

“Why not?”, she said, with a shy smile on her face.

“Perfect! Let’s start as soon as possible, then.”

Liv then informed him that the tea was ready and brought him to the kitchen. Ella, who was already sitting at the table, suddenly stood up.

“Hello. I’m Ella.”

“Nice to meet you.”, he answered, “My name is Lorenzo Grimaldi.”

Liv smiled at them and poured herself a cup of tea. The man sat and helped himself.

“So Lorenzo, are you a teacher, too?”

“I am, I teach History. What about you?”

“I work at a publisher's house, actually.”

“...and you’re soon becoming director of the design section, right?”, Liv added.

“That’s great! Greetings!”, Lorenzo complimented her.

The girl thanked him, then looked at the watch on her wrist and announced she was going jogging in twenty minutes. Liv refused to join her and stayed home with their guest.

After giving a look at Liv’s novel, he stood up and excused himself: he had to go home and finish correcting some tests. Liv accompanied him to the door. It was still raining, so she offered him a lift home.

When they finally reached his house, Lorenzo turned to Liv with a polite smile on his face.

“Thank you, it was a nice morning.”

“It was. We should do it again.”

“Sure.”, he smiled, “I am looking forward to reading your story, Mrs Liv Fjolnir.”

“It’s Olivia. Liv is… it’s just a surname.”

“Olivia… Well, I think it is just as good. See you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

The following Monday afternoon, instead of joining her friends at the cafè, Liv remembered she had to talk to Lorenzo. She told Ida she would not come, then left and went looking for him.

She found him alone in his office. She knocked anyway, out of good manners, but mostly hoping not to be of disturb. He made a big smile as soon as he saw her standing on the door.

“How was your day?”, he asked her.

“Nice, really nice. Yours?”

“I can’t complain.”

“Listen, I found some old books that could be really interesting, but I have invited two friends home this evening…”, she paused, not sure whether to continue her sentence. Lorenzo looked at her interrogatively.

“I cannot bring them to you, so if this doesn’t bother you,
would you mind coming to take them? You could… you could stay for dinner.”

“Gladly. I will be there around seven, is that okay?”

That evening, when the man knocked on the door, all the girls were chatting at the table. Liv instantaneously stood up and greeted him.

As he took a glance at the guests, Lorenzo whitened and stepped back.

“Is everything alright?”, Liv asked.

“Yes, just… I have to finish preparing tomorrow’s lesson, and I’m in a bit of a hurry so I cannot really stay…”

He smiled sheepishly, and Liv nodded understandingly. She went to her room, grabbed the books and handed them to him, who quickly left.

She walked back to the table and sat.

“Isn’t he joining us?”, Sif asked.

“No, he has to work”, she uttered. “It’s really no big deal girls. Come on, let’s eat!”

She grabbed the plates and started filling them.

“There’s something strange about that man, Liv. I’m telling you”, her roommate stated.

“Come on Ella, you saw him last week. He’s nice”, Liv scowled at her, “He’s a nice man.”

Sif and Ida looked at each other. It looked like they were plotting something.

“What was his name, again?”

“Lorenzo. He’s really nice, just… a bit shy, I guess.”

“He looks familiar, though”, Sif said, thoughtful.

“...you have seen him at the cafe, Sif. Come on.”

The girls seemed to relax and they finally had dinner, soon forgetting about that peculiar man.

The following days she kept thinking of Lorenzo’s behaviour. She had not had the chance to talk to him after he had rushed away and wondered if it would be better for her to go check on him. She did not want to let down her friends, but she had not received a single message in three days and was worried.

One day, while she was walking around the city centre, she made up her mind and texted him. She would go to his place to talk to him.

When she arrived he did not open right away, so she insisted and waited for him to answer. She hoped he had at least seen her text.

After a while, she saw him slowly walking towards her. She waved at him, he glanced up at her and, surprised, he waved back.

“What’s wrong, Lorenzo?”, she asked as he got near, “You didn’t seem to be well the other evening, and I haven’t heard of you since then - I thought we had to meet yesterday.”

He smiled as he opened the front door.

“It’s nothing, dear. Everything’s fine. And sorry for ghosting you. I have been quite busy with some tests.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”, she asked, still kind of worried.

“I certainly am. Come in, please.”

Once they were inside, Lorenzo lay on the sofa. He signed her to take a seat wherever she wanted, then he took her draft out of his bag as she sat next to him.

“Are you ready?”

She suddenly forgot about her worries and blushed, again.

“You went on reading?”

The man nodded. She sighed.

“Fine. Tell me everything”

She closed her eyes. Lorenzo cleared his throat and started reading the notes he had taken. Liv struggled to keep her focus: his voice was clear, yet deep, and she had grown to particularly fancy its sound.

She was amazed, and as the days passed she was more and more anxious to have that little ‘ritual’ of their own. It helped her with her writing, too. And in exchange for allowing him to read his works, Lorenzo would give her detailed lessons about Norse mythology. He often talked for two hours straight and he loved seeing Liv’s amazed - or disgusted - gaze, as she listened to the myths and tried to make sense of them.

On a Saturday night, after a long and tiring debate about a book they had both read - it was about ‘Gylfaginning’, the creation - he yawned three times while explaining to her how life had been created from a giant cow whose name was Auðmula.

Noticing how tired he was, Liv offered to go get him a glass of water before going home.

When she returned to the living room, she found her friend already asleep on the sofa. He still had his glasses on, so she gently took them off and put them on the table. Then she got out, locked the door of her friend’s apartment and went home.

They got closer and closer, day by day, and that made them both feel happy. Liv was always learning new things and didn’t miss a chance to give passionate explanations of her theories; he, by the way, appreciated being able to build a relationship with another person. He had never been a sensitive man, nor a nice one; that young woman had a surprising effect on him, but he felt it was going to lead to something more than that. He was not sure he’d like it.
What’s more, he felt like his time was running out, especially after seeing Sif and Ida, who seemed to be quite suspicious about him.

However, he could not help but realise that Liv was different from anyone he had ever met. He soon began to feel some kind of affection towards her, doing his very best to hide it. Whenever he felt the urge to caress her face, he remembered who her friends were and what their presence would mean to him. He kept himself from doing and saying anything his body and heart were craving to do and say. He only conceded himself a tight hug, from time to time. Liv herself seemed to appreciate those moments, as they were scarce, but very much needed.

One evening, out of nowhere, as they were sipping tea in their coffee shop - they had agreed that place would be their own secret spot - Olivia came up with an idea.

“You told me you’re free on Friday morning, right?”

“Yeah, why? Aren’t you working?”

“I am... and you may be, too.”

Four days later Lorenzo found himself surrounded by students that were at least twelve years younger than usual, trying to tell them as many stories about Thor as he could.

“Once”, he said, “Thor’s hammer was stolen by the giants.”

“Mjølnir!”, Ben exclaimed, proud of having learned that word.

“Exactly. So, Thor was angry and he decided to go to the iced lands where the giants lived in order to have it back.”

Liv started drawing on the blackboard: a big man with a hammer in his hands, and a smaller one, with an angry face.

“The evil giant wanted to marry one of the goddesses, but she did not want to. Then, Loki came up with an idea. The following day Thor dressed up as a bride, he covered his face and his beard and pretended to marry the giant. When he was finally able to hold Mjølnir again, he revealed his identity and… well, he defeated the big, bad giant.”

Liv added a gown to Thor’s figure and gave him the hammer; then, she drew a cross all over the giant.

“Kids, do you have any questions to ask Mr Grimaldi?”, she asked the children.

A couple hands were raised.

“Go ahead, Tom.”

“Mr Grimaldi, why did Loki help Thor? He is bad…”

Lorenzo sighed, then he smiled and answered the question.

“You see, the relationship between Loki and the other gods was never simple. They sometimes got along and they also fought.”

Tommy thought a bit about that answer, then he raised his head and said: “They are just like a family, right?”

Lorenzo lowered his head, trying to hide a bittersweet grin.

“Yeah, kind of.”

Liv then let another student ask a question.

“Mr Grimaldi, are you Mrs Fjolnir’s husband?”

Lorenzo glanced at Liv, who had blushed. The children chuckled.

“No, no. We are not married. He’s a friend of mine, alright kids?”, she said, “Now, let’s have a break. We’ll answer more questions in a couple minutes, mh?”

Despite spending so much time together, he still refused to be in the company of Liv’s friends. She just assumed he wasn’t ready to open up to other people yet, and she was fine with it. The two girls kept asking questions about him though: they seemed deeply interested in his life.

One day, while at home with Sif and Ida, Liv suddenly remembered she hadn’t told Lorenzo she would not be able to go to his place.

He didn’t answer his phone, so she waited and tried again. Then, she went to the flat, telling the two girls to stay at her place and wait for her.

She rang the bell.

“Lorenzo?”, she called.

“Hi! I’m here, give me a second!”

She heard his voice coming from the apartment. A few moments later he opened the door.

“I called you several times… Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I was out and left my phone at home. Then I came back and took a shower, so I did not hear it.”

She then noticed that, even if he was already dressed, his curly red hair was still wet and some drops were falling on his shoulders.

He was cheerful, but as soon as he moved his gaze to a point behind her, he became serious and stepped back.

“What are they doing here?”

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

“There is a reason why I didn’t want anything to do with them, Olivia”, Lorenzo stated, rattled.

She was confused.

“I wanted to tell you that today I wouldn’t be able to come here and listen to you read, but I- I had left them at my place…”, she uttered, turning to her friends, “What- why did you follow me?”

“I’m afraid the thing we are looking for isn’t at your home, Liv”, Sif said in a cold voice.

“So, I was right. I honestly thought it would take you less time to find me.”

Lorenzo’s tone was quite sarcastic.

“Shut up, won’t you? You can’t run anymore. We are sorry Liv, but you will soon understand.”

“What are you going to do now? You can’t bring her there”, Lorenzo took Liv’s arm and pulled her behind his person.

“We will ask for permission.”, Ida answered, “Until then, you’re locked here.”

“Sif what's happening? Why are you saying those things?”, Liv asked, slightly scared.

“You’d better tell her the truth” , she stated.

Then, they turned their heels and left the room.
Lorenzo sat on a chair, his head in his hands. Liv watched him, puzzled.

“Lorenzo? What’s happening?”

No answer.

“Lorenzo. For heaven’s sake, will you tell me what is happening here?”

He raised his head.

“Come here, next to me. Listen, Liv”, he sounded resignated , “I lied to you.”

“About what?”

“Almost everything, I’d say. First of all, my name is not Lorenzo.”

She didn’t say a thing so he went on trying to explain himself.

“I’m not from around here, I’m not even from this world…”

“What do you mean, you’re not from this world?” She didn’t know whether to laugh or yell at him.

“I come from another place, far, far away. I fled from there and now I’m kind of... wanted.”

“Oh come on! As if I could believe this.”

“You have to trust me.”

“Listen, I get it. This is a joke, but it isn't funny at all!”

He stared at her for some seconds and then raised a hand: a small flower appeared on it. It changed, it withered and all of a sudden it turned into dust.

“What-”, Liv could not finish the sentence. She stared at him, gaping.

“Magic, Liv. This is magic. I am telling you that I am not from this world.”

“How did you...?”, she feebly asked.

“I told you.”

“Are- are they like you?”

He nodded.

“Now I can understand why they behaved so unusually lately… Oh my god… But this- it can’t be. It can’t.”

She sat next to him.

“Why did they lie? Why do they want me, too?”

“Because you are with me, now.”

“...where are you from?”

“You’ll find out sooner than you think.”

“No, Lorenzo- or whatever your name is, you can't say you're not from this world and make some sort of strange trick and then stop! This morning I was working with my friends and now I'm locked here with a man I don't really know and you just sit there and say nothing!”

“I'm sorry. I thought they wouldn't be able to find me and I was just so, so wrong… Liv, except for my name and past life, everything I did was real, remember that. It wasn't meant as a deceit, I was just trying to disguise myself.”

“Are you saying everything I knew about you was false but it doesn’t really matter?! My goodness, you must be crazy!”, she shouted. He looked at her, his eyes were sad. She breathed and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Please, Lorenzo, tell me what is happening. What is real about you?”

“I really enjoy reading and I am very, very old.”

“Is… our friendship real? I mean, the book, the trips, the conversations… Was that real?”

“From the very first beginning. I told you, my story was fake but what I did here was mostly true.”

Confused, that was it. She was confused by the contrasting emotions she felt at that moment, and asked the only question her mouth was actually able to put together.

“Tell me your name then, please.”

“I don't think you would believe me, my dear.”

“No, I trust you. I’ve just seen a flower appear from nowhere on your palm, I can believe in a name.”

He sighed, then got near her and whispered his name to her ear.

“Are you… serious?”, she said, weaker than before. His face still near to hers, she was able to see little scars all around his lips, two rows of dots, almost resembling stitches.

“I am. Do you still trust me?”

“I…”, she really didn't know.

It was a lot, but she couldn’t not believe him. Just when she opened her mouth to say something, the door unlocked and the two girls got in.

“Did you explain everything? She is coming with us, she must be prepared”, Sif said.

“Don't you dare harm her! I'll come with you, you know it”, the man stood up, facing the two women.

“He wants to see you, and her”, Ida informed them.

“Why her?”, he asked.

“We don't know. Now, stay near him, Liv.”

“Who wants to see me?", she asked, worried, "And where are we going?!”

“Our king wants to see you. I told you to tell her everything, Loki”, Sif pointed out.

“You told me to tell her the truth, Sif, and I did so.”

Liv wasn’t able to protest. She felt like in a sort of trance and just believed anything she was told.
Ida uttered something under her breath, then all of a sudden she felt pulled up by an invisible force, a bright light around them. She grabbed her friend’s arm, a friend that had ended up being a god. How was that possible?
What she had learned about mythology seemed to be true, and it became even more real when she felt ground under her feet.

She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a beautiful place. On the horizon was a shimmering castle, as big as a city.

“I never thought I’d say this to you, but welcome to Asgard, Liv”, the god said, bitterness perceivable through his words.

“Lady Sif, Lady Iðunn, welcome back. Loki.”

A huge man was standing in front of them. He was much taller than her and his armour made him look scarily dangerous. He had spoke to Ida as Iðunn: that had to be her real name. Liv shook her head, feeling more and more overwhelmed by the whole situation.

“Welcome, Olivia Fjolnir”, he said.

Her eyes widened: “How do you know my name?”

He didn’t answer. Sif took a step towards him.

“Heimdallr, Odin wants to see both of them.”

“He’s been waiting for you in Asgard.”

They walked through the realm until they reached the majestic palace she had seen. They entered the throne hall, and she saw the Allfather. She could not believe her eyes. He was the oldest man she had ever seen, still he looked fierce and strong.

“Loki!”, he thundered.

“Hi.”

“What made you think we wouldn’t be able to find you? You can’t flee from your fate! You chose Miđgarđ… You’re a demon, no human has that magic inside. It was too easy.”

“Yet, it took you more than thirty years, and some help”, Loki glanced at Liv. She felt terribly guilty.

“You’re right. That’s because”, the Allfather then looked at Liv with vivid curiosity in his eyes, “there was another source of magic near to you.”

“We brought her here, your majesty, but she seems… normal. She always did.”, Iðunn said.

Loki stepped forward: “Please, she has done nothing wrong. Leave her alone, you have me.”

“Loki, you ran away from Asgard because you were afraid of your future, but you should know that fate has been written and you cannot change it. She has something to do with us, with you.”

The confusion that had inhibited her had worn off, and Liv started to feel afraid. She didn’t understand the point of her being there.

“Dear lady”, Odin turned to her, “May you tell me your name?”

“Olivia Sygin Fjolnir.”

Loki gasped, while Odin’s eyes sparkled in a disquieting way.

“I see”, he called a servant, “Make sure there’s a room ready for our guest, she will stay here for a while.”

“What- no, no, I can’t! I mean, I have to work, I have my family, Ella… what will she do? Your Majesty...”

She couldn’t leave everything and stay there. It was a wonderful place, indeed, but she didn’t want to live on Asgard. Even thinking of it sounded absurd.
Odin ignored her, and moved his attention to Loki.

“You fled from fate, from your duties; now, you’ll have to take care of her, everyday. You know you can’t escape this. You’re free to go - and please, wear some decent clothes.”

With a sign of his hand he let them go and she followed Sif, which guided her to what seemed to have become her new room.

It was big and the wide windows let all the light in; there was a huge bed, and a mirror.

She sat on the bed and was left alone.

After what seemed to be half an hour, Loki knocked on the door and then entered the room.

She was at the window, charmed by the breathtaking sight of Asgard in the sunset light. Turning around, she watched Loki with sadness in her eyes. She was angry, she felt out of place and couldn't do a thing to solve those problems.
The god silently approached her and apologized for causing all of that to happen.

“Why did you run away…? It's such a wonderful place…”

“Liv, my dear, I told you some things about this place, and about my life here. Do you remember any?”

“Oh, I see… You're the evil one, the trickster. Loki. ...you didn't seem that kind of man. And you told me Loki was not truly evil.”

“I did my best, because you do not deserve that part of me. I was also trying to stay undercover, so… However I'm currently stuck here, with you, and I sadly think you'll quickly change your mind about me.”

Her eyes started to shine, as tears ran on her cheeks.

“Does this mean I'm never going back to earth? Oh my… no, no I can't!”, she sighed and Loki put his arms around her.

“No, just wait and see. I will convince Odin to make you stay here a couple of weeks then you'll be able to go back to your home. I'll do everything in my power, I promise.”

“Thank you, Lor- Loki.”, she paused. She rested her head on the god’s shoulder for a moment.

“May I ask you a question?”, she said then, letting go of him.

“Of course.”

“What is the real reason why you escaped?”

He took a deep breath, before starting his explanation.

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

Night had fallen, and Loki started to speak.

“I… Let's say I managed to know my future in an unconventional way, and I got scared of it. I did… a thing, of which I'm not proud at all; I've been imprisoned and I successfully fled; I went to Miðgarð.”

“The Earth, right?”

“Yeah, that's Miðgarð. As I told you, it is the central world of nine: Ásgard is where we are now, on Ásaheimr.”

She sighed.

“Who would have thought that what you told me would turn out to be real? That you-”, she stopped, chuckling.

“Listen, I know it’s hard for you, all of this.”

“No, it’s okay I guess. I mean, I am here now. But what were you scared of?”

She did not recall Loki fleeing to the Earth. She also knew they did not have the time to get to that part of the story. She still knew pretty much nothing about that place and the people that lived there.

“You see, I… I should have had an important role in Ragnarök,
the end of everything, which hasn’t occurred yet. The fact is, before causing it I was supposed to get married, have children and get imprisoned with my wife for a long, long time.”

Liv was listening attentively to him, and she felt down hearing those words. She did not know much about Loki’s history, but having a real man - better, the god himself - telling those things to her…

He kept talking.

“Thus… I killed that girl. It was an accident, actually. I feel bad for that, because she was so faithful, she was the only one loving me. Still, her sacrifice made me able to avoid centuries of pain, so I guess it wasn’t really that bad...”

Liv was… shocked. Disgusted. Was she talking to the same man she had known? How could he talk about killing someone in such a calm way?

“How could you? Did you just… kill her? By accident! How do you kill someone by accident?! And you can't surely go around celebrating your wife's death! That’s heartless!”

She stepped away from him, and he raised his arms with an exasperated expression. As if it was her who had killed someone and was now bragging about it.

“Oh come on, don’t start it. Just for the record, I’ve never loved that girl: she always thought I could've changed. I didn’t want to. And I did not: I am the same man you’ve known.”

“You were lying to me! Can you see the difference between falling in love with a man you know and falling for a man who lied everyday you've been knowing him?”, she almost shouted. Loki's eyes widened as he realized what she had said.

“What do you mean, 'falling in love'?”

“Nothing. It was all a lie, it doesn't matter anymore! You're not Lawrence, you're not the kind man I knew! You're a murderer, and a liar.”

Liv could see the pain in Loki's eyes: he tried to speak but nothing came from his mouth. Head on, he stood up and slowly left the room.

She lied down on her bed and stared at the ceiling for an indeterminate period of time. Then, she heard someone knocking on the door, again.

She was so shocked by her friend's confession, that she just told whoever it was to get in, without even moving. Iðunn entered the room and sat next to her.

“Hi. Is everything okay?”

Liv did not answer.

“I am sorry you have to bear all of this but you'll understand its importance, I'm sure.”

Liv spoke, and she was surprisingly calm.

“Why? Why bringing me here? I have nothing to do with you.”

“Sure, you’re human, but as the Allfather said, we feel magic coming from you. And this is the matter: we want to understand what is happening to you.”

“Oh, so I’m an experiment. Loki lied, you want to keep me here forever and I literally can't do anything! How am I supposed to feel right now? ‘Cause let me tell you, I feel betrayed by you and… Sif, Loki… Gosh, you all did a terrible thing. The last years with you were a lie, I still can't believe it”, she shut her eyes.

“Personally, I beg you to forgive me and Sif. We truly loved spending time with you and we truly love you. At first we just had to obey Odin, but it became something more, something better than a simple task. As far as Loki is concerned... You know, he has made lots of wrong decisions, but it's not completely his fault. He often mistakes while trying to help us: he is cunning, he is wily… it's his nature. Odin knew that when he decided to bring him here. He's a son of chaos, it's normal. Although, the last… mischief he made was the worst. The only reason he hasn't been already killed is you, so please, give him this chance. I personally am positive about you. Don't try to change him, no one can do that. Just… try to understand him, because none of us is able to.”
Liv, who had listened to every single word, was now more confused, if possible. That guy had killed one of their friends and she was asked to… understand him? A murderer? How?

“I can't. I don't want to see him.”

“You'll have to. Odin decided you are his responsibility, and you'll have to spend the next few days with him. You'd better figure out how to solve your problems. Now, it is dinner time, let me help you wear something better. Just like we did back on Earth.”

She slowly stood up, and - unsuccessfully - tried to clear her own mind while her goddess-friend was teaching her how to wear asgardian clothes.

After a while she was ready, and they headed for the hall where they would have consumed the meal. There was a long table, where some people had already taken a seat.
Odin was sitting at the head of the table. Next to him, on the left was a woman, on the right a rough man who was already eating; by his side was Sif, who seemed to be his wife: she had long, golden hair, and she was rolling her eyes at the way the man was eating. She looked completely different from the woman she knew.

She followed Iðunn and found out that her seat was next to the woman she had seen beside Odin.

“Good evening”, she said, sitting down.

“Good evening, Sigyn”, answered Odin.

Silence fell over the table when the Allfather spoke, and everyone looked at her.

“I- I'd rather be called Liv, if that's not a problem.”

“It's not. Stop staring, you lot! Try to give our guest a warm welcome!”

Then, the Allfather introduced some of them to her.

The rude man on his left was Thor, with Sif, then another son, Baldr. He was surprisingly bright and joyful, he seemed to be shining and was incredibly handsome. If he hadn’t opened his mouth to speak, Liv would have believed he was fake.

“Finally, Liv, this is my wife Frigg, mother of some of my sons. She is the wisest woman you'll ever know.”

The woman smiled at her and touched her hand. She felt dizzy for a moment, then everything went back to normal.

She looked at her in confusion, but Frigg continued smiling.

“So, you are the human Loki brought here…”

“He didn't bring me here. Sif and Iðunn did, but he didn't completely agree… At least, now I know why.”

“What do you mean by that? What did he tell you?”, Sif asked, and she sounded worried.

“He told me he accidentally killed one of you because he was afraid of something concerning his future…”

“Did he tell you who he killed?”, continued her.

“His wife, something like that, I don't really care about it.”

“We’ll see about that”, the queen observed.

She had turned to the entrance, where a beautiful woman was walking into the room, followed by Loki. Her cheeks were red and her long hair was a bit messy, as she slowly approached the table and took a seat. Meanwhile, the male god was fixing his clothes with a sly smile, looking definitely smug. Liv tried to ignore the horrible emotions she was feeling and managed to keep her composure: what in hell’s name was she thinking about? That wasn’t the man she had known, so there was no reason for being jealous. He glanced at the table and they both realized the only seat left was next to her. What a surprise.

He sat, greeted and started to eat. She looked at her plate and ate as well, she was starting to feel hungry. She tried to do it in the most polite way, but soon figured out that almost everyone didn't even imagine what good manners were. The women were more polite but the best was surely Loki. He had something different from the others, he was too quiet compared to the others.

When Liv tried to taste the wine, Loki stopped her and took the glass from her hand.

“Why? You have no authority over me, so I don't have to ask for your permission, you know that right?”, she exclaimed.

He said that their alcohol was special and even a sip would be too much for her. She was going to protest when Frigg confirmed his words, it really was too much for her body. So, she gave up.

After the meal, they stayed there and listened to Bragi, a brilliant poet and musician: Liv soon discovered he was Iðunn’s husband. Out of all the poems he knew, he chose to narrate the one about the ‘Gifts of the Dwarves’.

She listened attentively, as the man started picking his lyre.

One day, jokingly, Loki cut Sif’s hair - the god of mischief, next to Liv, chuckled - and, looking for forgiveness - trying to avoid Thor’s rage, too - he went to Ivaldi’s sons, on Svartàlfheimr, in order to have new hair for the goddess and a bunch of gifts. He obtained Sif’s new golden head of hair, Skidbladnir, a foldable ship, and Gungnir, the most powerful spear. Then, reckless as always, he bet his head with Brokkr and Sindri, two brothers who were famous for their craftsmanship: they had to create three gifts, better than Ivaldi’s sons’ ones.

They accepted, but while they were working, the god, disguised as a fly, bit Brokkr various times. Firstly, the dwarf created a boar, Gullinbursti, with golden hair and incredible speed; then, a ring, Draupnir, which could multiply itself. The third was a hammer, Mjöllnir: it could come back to the owner and it never missed the target. Unfortunately, Loki’s third bite had let the blood cover Brokkr’s eyes and that had made him make a mistake: the handle was shorter than it should be.

However, after examining the six gifts, the hammer was elected as the best of them all. Loki, who knew he had lost, at first tried to escape. Caught by Thor, the dwarves approached him and put a knife on his neck. Cunningly, he objected: he had promised his head, not his neck. He thought he was safe, but he was wrong because the dwarves decided to sew his mouth instead.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

Liv quickly turned to Loki, just to see him softly touching his lips, curved in a bittersweet smile. So that was what the little scars around his lips were. She felt terribly sad for him, and instinctively put a hand on his arm. He turned to her, surprised, then he met Odin’s gaze. His face darkened, he stood up and left.

Liv, who was getting more and more confused, followed him.
Her head was telling her not to go after him but she didn’t seem able to control her own body.

He stopped in the middle of a little garden.

“Why are you following me?”, he asked.

“Why did you leave?”, she said.

“That’s none of your business. You said I’m a monster, at least treat me as one.”

“I am sorry for what happened to you… Actually, it was a bet and everything, but it was so clever, and funny…”

“Oh, you find it funny?”, he said sarcastically.

“No, no, that is not what I meant. I am talking about your… trick. Clever, really.”

He didn't move, but seemed to get less tense.

“It is a shame”, she continued, “That those dwarves decided to do that to you… I can't imagine how mu-”

“Wait. You're wrong, that's not what happened.”

“But Bragi just said-”

“He lied!”, he shouted. His heavy breath was the only audible thing in the silence.

“Please, Olivia, listen to me.”

She nodded, so he went on.

“They tell you what they want you to know, the way they want you to know it. When those dwarves realized I had deceived them, they almost gave up and it wasn't their idea to sew my mouth. It was Odin's. He suggested that and they were more than pleased! You see the matter? I made a mistake, I made amends and brought back five magnificent gifts. They kept all of them, but none of them got the idea to save me.”

“Oh it's… it's terrible… but…”, she didn't know what to say.

“But what? 'It was a bet'? Sure it was. ‘Consequences’. You see, they do whatever they want and when something doesn't follow the plan they usually kill or destroy or even sacrifice. They don’t do ‘consequences’.Whilst, as I am a son of chaos, everything I do is considered evil or dangerous… I am the threat.”

“Well, you cut Sif's hair and recently killed a girl, so…”

“You're stuck to that, aren’t you? Don't listen to them, please. Do you have the slightest idea of how many people they killed? And populations they destroyed and promises they broke, for aims even less important than mine.”

He turned into a crow and flew away, so that Liv wasn't able to follow him anymore. She tried to get back to the hall where she was before, but ran into Baldr, the ‘shimmering’ guy she had seen during dinner.

“You’re Liv, am I right?”

“I am.”

“My name is Baldr, Odin sent me here to look for you. Did Loki hurt you?”

“What- no! Why would he?”

“He already did it, my dear.”

“Please, call me Liv. Why do you all treat me like we’re friends? You forced me into coming here and now hold me prisoner. How are we friends?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Is it okay if I accompany you to your room?”

He smiled, and some of his joyfulness seemed to make its way into Liv’s heart. He was just too positive to resist. On the way to the bedroom, he managed to make the girl feel warm and somehow happy, though something still wasn’t okay.

“Thank you”, she said, and entered the room. She took her clothes off and wore her t-shirt, then lied on her bed and fell asleep, without noticing a quick flicker at her window.

Some seconds later, Baldr, together with Sif, was reached in a corridor by Loki. He had taken his own form and was now standing in front of them.

“What are you trying to do to her?”, he asked through his teeth.

Baldr smiled.

“Absolutely nothing. We want everything to go as normally as possible, we want to restore order.”

“You couldn’t do anything to change the course of events, even if you tried to", the goddess added.

“Come on, Loki! You should be happy to have her here!”, Baldr said, patting him on the shoulder. He instantly stepped back and defiantly looked at them.

“One day, Baldr, your kindness is going to kill you.”

The trickster walked away, but as soon as he got round the corner he turned into a fly and followed the couple.

The two gods reached Yggdrasil through Bifrost: a Thing (1) was being held, but Loki hadn’t been informed. He landed on Heimdall’s helmet and listened to their conversation.

At first, no one said a thing, until Sif spoke: “Father, is it really her?”

Odin remained silent for some seconds, then spoke: “Obviously, we can’t be sure, but it seems so. It had never happened before, but that girl… She doesn’t even imagine what she has. Our experiment must have worked when Sygin died.”

“So, what are we doing now? Are we keeping her here or…?”, one of the gods asked.

Loki found himself disappointed when he did not hear Iðunn standing up for Liv. Maybe even her bound to the girl was a blatant lie. But looking at all the familiar faces around him, he could not find hers.

“No one will tell her the truth. Loki wouldn’t do that. We’ll have to wait for the two of them to give in and surrender to their instincts. Sigyn loved him, it is their destiny”, Odin explained.

“It still is a mystery how she was able to love him”, Sif whispered.

“If it’s really her, she will come out at some point. Then, everything will be back to normal. You all have to be patient", the Allfather stated. Without further explanation, he turned into an eagle and flew away.

"We do not have time. Who knows what will happen if Loki keeps wandering around?", Freya asked worriedly.

"We all know that Loki wandering around does please you, Freya", her brother teased her.

If he could, Loki would have rolled his fly-eyes.

"Her affairs with Loki don't matter right now. However, I may have come up with an idea to find out more about our new guest", Sif suggested, a smirk on her face.

At that point, Loki flew away and got back to Asgard: he had to find a solution to whatever they were planning to do.