dahlia? (a loki fanfic)

chapter four.

Loki's smile was slightly contagious, and Patient Zero let a small, unsure smile rest on her face too. Loki slowly moved his free hand to her face, looking at her reassuringly. "This won't hurt." he assured her before resting his palm on her forehead. For a split moment, nothing happened, until Patient Zero felt like she was thrown back, back in time, reexperiencing a memory that she had somehow forgotten.

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Patient Zero's memory, summer 1857

Patient Zero was sitting on a bench outside the school for teens of Asgard. She looked 13, now, though this was several centriues before she was ever located on Earth. she was rocking back on forth in her own seat, her feet bouncing up and down. Her hair only reached a little past her shoulders, and it was healthy looking. Her eyes had life in them, and she looked fairly happy.

she whistled loudly at another boy her age, clearly it was Loki, but also younger. "Hey, princess, I have a question." she yelled at him, even though he was in a conversation with other people, he still turned to her. When their eyes locked, and the girl smiled, he smiled back and left the people he was talking to.

He was wearing asgardian clothes, fancy ones, while she was wearing less fancy ones, cheaper, probably more used too.

"Could you not tell I was busy?" the young prince asked, though he seemed happy another person his age was even interracting with him specifically. "I could, but I wanted to talk to you, and I feel better bothering you when you're talking to your brother's friends than I do when you're peacefully reading alone, and I couldn't possibly show up at the castle just to ask you for help." the girl spoke, and Loki's smile grew larger, he was visibly intrigued by what she had just told him.

"Help with what exactly?" he asked, and she smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm struggling to learn and remember Asgardian history for the test next week, and I heard you're really good at such,"

"Really?" the prince asked, "I mean-yeah, I-I could help you out, just...don't call me 'princess' again." he responded like he did because no one had ever asked for his help because of his skills talking for themselves. he didn't know that at the time she could feel how proud he felt, he had yet to really learn who she was, but she didn't mind.

"What shall I call you then, your majesty?" the girl mocked, with a lighthearted tone. "Loki is fine." the god answered with a small smile, and a small....spark in his eye. "I'm Dahlia, but it's such a weird name. Call me Lia."

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The second the younger version of herself finished the sentence, Lia was once again thrown, but this time to the present. She had instantly moved a little away from Loki, the god's hand no longer touching her head.

Loki was just looking at her, completely calm, the worried sadness had returned to Loki's eyes as he looked at her for her reaction. "I...I remember that-" Dahlia whispered, looking down at her hands, "How-How long ago was that?" she looked back up at Loki, her previously emotionless eyes seemed so much more alive already.

"1857." he responded without hesitation, "On Asgard." he added, examining her expressions with his eyes. Dahlia nodded slightly as if she agreed with him on that. "Do it again." she said sternly, moving closer, back to where she was a moment ago, and grabbing the god's hand, placing it on her head again. "Show me another one," she looked up at him with her huge puppy like eyes, begging him with just her eyes. How could he possibly say no to that?

Loki cleared his throat before nodding subtly, and before Lia could utter another word, she was flung into yet another memory.

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