Hello. This is my first Marvel fic, so I hope you enjoy it. I am not an expert on Norse mythology, but I hope not to make any huge blunders, as most of what I use will be drawn from the Thor movie.
This is a Frozen-esque AU, with Loki as Elsa (obviously). I'm writing this purely for my enjoyment, and it will not be updated constantly. Anyway I do hope you like it. So without further adu, The Frozen Prince.
Chapter 01
Loki jerked his small hand away from the window glass, as if he had been burned. But in fact, it was the exact opposite. Spreading out from the point where he had rested his hand was a thin layer of frost. Even as Loki watched with wide, confused eyes, the frost continued to spread across the glass in intricate patterns.
He looked down at the offending hand, cradled against his chest, and flinched in shock. With a wave of fascinated horror, he saw that his hand had turned a deep sky blue. Before his eyes, the blue began to fade away to his normal pale white, but the image of the blue hand that was his own was already burned into his mind for the rest of his life.
He looked up back to the frosted window, almost expecting it to disappear as well, but it had not. At least, not as quickly as the blue. The frost was actually melting at a normal pace.
He took a few shaky steps back. What - what was going on? Was it magic?
His mind latched onto this idea. Magic, yes. It must be magic. There was no other explanation. He had caused things to happen with his magic without meaning to before. True, he had never caused frost to appear, or turned blue, but magic had to be the answer. All he had to do was go to Mother and tell her what had happened, and she would sit him down like all the other times and explain what he had done and how to control it. Then he could avoid turning blue - unless, of course, he wanted to.
Loki felt a small thrill of excitement. To be able to control frost and snow. That would be so much fun. Already, he could envision the things he could do with power over the cold elements. With fantasies filling his mind, he wasted no time walking/skipping to his mothers private chambers.
He knocked in a quick rhythm that was uniquely his, to let Mother know it was him. A few moments later, the large door swung back to reveal Frigga, Queen of Asgard and Loki's mother.
She smiled delightfully down at the raven-haired prince. "Loki, darling. I was wondering when you would pay your mother a visit."
The little boy grinned back as he walked into the familiar set of rooms.
"Mother, I did magic today!" He proclaimed proudly. "New magic!"
Frigga smiled at her son as she closed the door behind him. "You did? Oh that is wonderful, sweetheart. Come into my bedroom and tell me all about it."
With another smile, Loki followed his mother into her bed chamber. He was too small to lift himself onto the bed, so his mother grabbed him under his arms and, with an exaggerated lift, sat him on the bed. Loki giggled as he went flying briefly, then landed on the soft bed. His mother laughed with him, and sat down beside him.
"Now, sweetheart, tell me about this magic of yours." She smiled gently.
"Well, I had put my hand on the window outside the library, and it was really cold. Then, my hand turned blue -" he held up his hand, as if it would turn blue again, "- and frost appeared on the window."
The motherly expression on Frigga's face froze unnaturally, as if someone had forcibly plastered it on, and Loki felt an inkling of fear.
"Mother?" He asked. "What kind of magic was it?"
The motherly look vanished, to be replaced by a cocktail of emotions that Loki didn't understand. Fear, sadness, and so many others lay in his mother's expression.
"Mother?" He asked again, fear leaking into his voice.
"Oh, Loki." For the first time in his life, Loki heard sadness and pain in his mother's voice. He didn't like it, not at all.
His mother held out her arms and wrapped them around him, and Loki didn't hesitate to climb into the embrace, looping his arms around Frigga's neck.
Confusion ran amuck in his mind. What had he done to make his mother upset? The magic? Was - was the frost magic bad? He didn't mean to do something bad. He nuzzled his face against his mother's neck, letting her long brown hair tickle his cheeks. His eyes flickered shut as he listened to his mother's breath, coming deep and quick.
Loki felt one of his mother's hands rub circles in his back, like she was trying to comfort him. While he felt like his mother was the one who needed comforting, he appreciated the effort. It was soothing, being held by his mother. He always protected when he was being hugged, so he never turned down the offer of one, especially since they were far and few.
"Loki." His mother said his name softly, more of a murmur than a call.
Loki pulled back from the hug and out of his mother's lap. For some reason, this felt like something he shouldn't be in his mother's arms for. Something he needed to hear on his own, by himself.
"What is wrong?" Loki asked, fiddling with the collar of his tunic as he fixed his green-eyed gaze on his mother.
"Loki, there is something I need to tell you. I had been planning to tell you when you were older, but you need to know now, if it has already started to express itself."
"What? What has expressed itself?" Loki's tongue stumbled through the words, worry weighing heavy in his mouth.
Frigga laid her hands gently on top of her son's smaller one.
"Sweetheart, have you ever heard of adoption?"
Loki's face scrunched up in confusion. Adoption? It sounded vaguely familiar. He had heard it before, somewhere he could not place, but he did not know what it meant.
"No." He told Frigga.
"Adoption is when -" She pauses, " - a family makes someone who is not related to them part of the family."
A chill flew down Loki's spine, but he said nothing.
"When you were just a few years old, Odin and I adopted you, Loki."
Loki recoiled, pulling his hands away from his mother's. He - he was adopted? But, Mother had just said that adoption was for people who were not related. So, wouldn't that mean that he was not related to her? He wasn't her son?
"I'm - I'm not your son?" He blinked hard, pushing back tears.
Suddenly, he once again engulfed in his mother's arms. He squirmed, trying to break away from Mo-Frigga, but her grip held strong.
"Never, ever say that." Frigga said with fierce motherly love. "You are my son, if not in blood, then in mind and spirit. Nothing will ever change that."
Tears streamed down Loki's cheeks, clouding his bright green eyes. He squirmed half-heartedly, pushing the queen away, but she held fast, and Loki surrendered to the hug, burying his face in the folds of - his mothers? - Frigga's dress. His breathing grew shallow as the tears came harder and faster, flowing out of him like a river. His breath caught in his throat, and he hiccupped through quiet sobs. Salty tears worked their way into his mouth, rolled off his chin, and stained the queens yellow dress.
Through it all, Frigga held the small boy in her arms, letting her worry show on her face now that he wasn't looking. She had been dreading this day. She didn't think it would come so soon. She had hoped to wait until he was a little older, more mature. Preferably when he already had a grasp of the concept of adoption and was already extremely close to his family. But she could not put it off any longer, not if his heritage was showing already, at this tender age.
It was something that bothered her. Not Loki's heritage - Loki was her son, no matter what color his skin was - but rather the fact he was able to overcome the illusion of an Asgardian form and the block of his ice powers so easily, without even trying. All it took was a little cold, and he managed to make frost. He was powerful, there was no doubt about it. But if he did not know how to control his powers, he could bring chaos and disaster upon the kingdom. She would have to teach him to control it, like his magic.
Under her hands, she felt the shudders running through Loki's body begin to slow, signaling Loki was winding down.
"You are my son, Loki." She murmured, resting her chin lightly on his head, carding her fingers through his raven hair. "You are my beautiful, wonderful son."
Loki pulled away, and this time she let him have his space. His small hands swiped at his eyes, rubbing away his tears. He pouted, what exactly at Frigga wasn't sure (most likely everything) and she couldn't help the small bittersweet smile that found its way onto her face. Her son was adorable, even when he was upset.
She reached out and caressed his cheek lightly, wiping away a few stubborn tears that Loki had missed. "I could not love you more, not even if I had given birth to you myself."
Her words seemed to steady Loki slightly, enough for him to look her in the eye again.
Questions spun wildly through his mind amongst a whirl of emotions that he couldn't name, much less understand. It felt like the ground had been yanked out from underneath Loki, leaving him off kilter and disoriented. Suddenly, everything was different.
Except - except Frigga still said that she loved him. That he was her son, even if he was not of her blood. Could - could he be her son even if he wasn't?
Who were his parents, then? Why wasn't he with them?
"Who are my parents, Mother?" The familiar title slipped off his tongue before he could catch it, but from the way Frigga beamed, he could tell it was exactly how she wanted him to address her. Loki decided to continue to call her Mother. She had always been Mother to Loki, why stop now?
"I am not completely sure, darling. Your father would be more likely to know more on that subject." Loki's face fell slightly, but Frigga was not done speaking.
"However, I do know this. Your birth parents were Jotuns."
Loki frowned at the unfamiliar word. "Yo-tons? What are they?"
"Jotuns are a race of blue-skinned giants with power over ice and snow."
"Blue." Loki whispered under his breath, and his eyes flickered to the hand that had become blue earlier.
"Yes, blue. They live in the realm of Jotunheim, an icy realm perfect for beings of cold. When you were but a babe, Odin was traveling through Jotunheim. There was trouble stirring with the Jotuns at the time, so Odin had gone to restore peace. As he began to travel back to Asgard he came across a Jotun babe in an abandoned home."
"Me?" Loki asked with wide eyes, even though he already knew the answer.
"Yes, you, Loki. Odin could not leave you to die in Jotunheim, so he decided to bring you here to the palace, and raise you as the second prince of Asgard."
"Why was I abandoned?" Loki frowned. "Why was I not with my parents?"
Mother sighed. "I do not know, Loki. There are two likely reasons. One, your parents may have been dead, for reasons unknown. The second reason is more likely. You are quite small for a Jotun, my son, even at birth. Small Jotuns, called runts, tend to die at an early age because they are not strong enough to survive the harsh winters of Jotunheim. Your parents may have thought it best to do you a mercy and allow you to die, instead of forcing you to live through the freezing winters until you froze."
Loki frowned harder. It was better than being abandoned for no reason, he supposed. And it had turned out well in the end. He was not dead; he was alive and well in Asgard, with a adopted family.
But still . . . He would have liked to know for sure. To know if his birth parents had abandoned him out of love or not.
"That, my son, is why you can turn blue and conjure frost. It is in your blood." Mother gave a final summary, as if finishing a fable, and Loki smiled slightly at the familiar ending.
"Why do I not look blue all the time, though? Or always make ice appear?" Loki questioned.
Mother sighed. "We thought it best to give you an Asgardian guise to live under. It is a very, very powerful illusion, that can only be broken by the cold or your consent. We did not want you to feel different from others in the realm, or be judged." She sighed again. "I'm afraid, Loki, that many people in the Nine Realms do not like Jotuns. They think the worst of them for the actions of a few."
"That is why it is very important you do not tell or show anyone your power over ice or your true form. I do not wish for anyone to hurt you. Promise me you will not tell anyone?"
Loki hesitated. "Not even Thor?" He had never kept a secret from his brother; at least, not for very long. Despite his talent at hiding things, Thor always seemed to know exactly what to say to get Loki to reveal what was troubling him.
"Not even Thor. Not yet, anyway. When the time is right, we may, but that time is not now. Promise?"
Loki took a deep breath. "I promise." He nodded his head formally.
"Good." Frigga sent him another motherly smile, and Loki could not help but smile back.
"Now, we must teach you how to control your ice. It would not good if you, say, froze Sif while she was sparring." Mother smiled to show her jest, and Loki giggled at the mental image.
Perhaps though, when he truly did have control, he would freeze Sif the next time she teased him for falling behind in battle training. It would serve her right.
"Okay! When do we start?" Loki grinned.
"Right now."
Hours later, Loki padded out of the Queen's chambers and began to head towards the room he shared with Thor. He stifled a yawn, rather exhausted from the events of the day.
There was the issue of his adoption, of course, and the fact he was not even Asgardian. But Frigga had assured him that his blood parents changed nothing about her love for him. He was Loki yesterday, he was still Loki today, and he would be Loki tomorrow. He would always be Loki, her son in spirit.
And being Jotun was not bad, not really. He could create snow, something he had rarely got the chance to see. The option of being able to have snow whenever he wanted, to play with it, was appealing. According to Frigga, only Jotuns could control the cold elements, so he was lucky really. He got the best of both worlds. Jotun powers, with Asgardian magic. He also had the best teacher and the best mother ever.
While it was scary that he wasn't exactly who he thought he was, and it hurt that his blood parents hadn't been able to care for him for whatever reason, it didn't really matter. He was still family.
Loki reached the large door that lead to his and Thor's chambers, and carefully pushed the heavy door open.
Booming laughter was quick to meet him, and the open door soon revealed Thor and his friends, Volstagg, Hogan, Fandrall, and Sif. They were sharing laughter about something, no one laughing harder than Thor, as they sat around the fireplace that acted as the focal point of the common room.
"Hello." He greeted in a soft voice. No one seemed to notice his arrival, and Loki sighed. It was nothing new. He was often overlooked, being much smaller and far quieter than Thor and his friends.
He crossed the room and moved to the door to his chamber. He slipped inside and shut the door silently behind him. He glided across the carpeted floor to the trunk at the end of his bed. Flipping it open, he reached in and pulled out a flowing silk tunic and loose silk pants. He pulled off his day wear after fiddling with all the buckles and straps, and shrugged on his more comfortable, freer sleep clothes.
Peeking into the common room again, he saw that none of Thor's friends, nor Thor, had noticed his presence. A small mischievous smile appeared on his face. Time for a little fun.
He crouched low, and moved slowly and quietly behind Thor's back, sticking to the shadows cast by the torches and fireplace. It took a couple minutes to creep up behind his brother, and at one point Hogan caught him, locking eyes with him. But he said nothing, letting the little prince have his mischief.
Finally, he was directly behind Thor, and the oaf hadn't noticed a thing. He leaned over one shoulder, his mouth hovering right beside Thor's ear.
"Boo." He spoke, a hint of mischief ringing clearly in his voice.
"Ahh!" Thor shrieked, jumping away from Loki. His friends, except Hogan, jumped as well, and Loki laughed, the look on their faces priceless.
"Loki!" Thor yelled, voice laced with embarrassment as his cheeks began to flush red.
Loki simply continued to laugh.
"That was not funny, Loki." Sif snapped hotly, ashamed at herself for jumping.
"Consider it training, brother and friends. If I had been an enemy, you would all be gonners." Loki grinned smugly. "You all need to work on being alert. Well," he paused, "except Hogan. He actually saw me."
"Hogan! Why did you not say anything?" Thor whined.
Hogan shrugged. "The little kid has a point."
Instantly, the grin slid off Loki's face. "I am not a little kid!" He protested. "I am only a couple centuries younger than you."
"Whatever you say." Fandrall chimed in.
Loki scowled. "I was not talking to you."
"Alright, calm down." Volstagg stood. "It is getting late, we may as well take our leave now. Goodnight, Thor and Loki."
Fandrall, Hogan, and Sif rose as well and bid the two princes goodnight. Thor waved enthusiastically, and Loki simply nodded.
The minute the large door shut, Thor turned to Loki. "Brother, where have you been all day?"
"The library, then with Mother. Why?" Loki wondered aloud.
"I was going to invite you to watch me and Sif spar." He answered. Loki made a face (he was nowhere near quiet about his dislike of battle training) that Thor unfortunately caught. "Little bother, you're going to have to learn to fight eventually. You can not rely on magic and tricks. They are useless in fair combat."
Loki pouted. If he had learned anything today, it was that his Jotun ice magic was very powerful, and it would be quite handy in a fight. After all, one cannot fight you if they are frozen in a block of ice. He almost said so to Thor, but he remembered his promise to Mother, and held his tongue.
Thor took his silence as stubborn denial. "It is true, brother. But I suppose it can wait for now." Thor gave his own mischievous smirk. "You are only a little kid."
Loki growled playfully. "I am not! I'll show you a little kid." He ran at his brother, tackling him. Thor did not fall over, and instead latched onto Loki and pulled him to the ground where they began to wrestle. Thor was bigger and had the advantage, but Loki was more flexible, and had soon maneuver into a spot where he could easily reach Thor's neck. He dug his fingers into the place between his neck and his shoulder and wiggled them aggressively.
Thor recoiled, giggling uncontrollably. He tried to back away, but Loki pressed the attack, tickling Thor's side. Breathless laughter escaped Thor's mouth, and Loki began to giggle as well, smirking with glee.
"Yield, yield Loki! I yield!" Thor gasped, and Loki drew back, smiling smugly.
"See? I can hold my own. I am not just a little kid." Loki said firmly.
Thor chuckled. "Yes, I suppose. Though if I had armor, that trick would not work."
Loki simply stuck out his tongue in response, to Thor's amusement.
"Let us head to bed, brother." Thor boomed in his boisterous voice. "You shall need your rest. Tomorrow I will teach you a few real battle moves."
"Actually, Thor . . . " Loki chewed his bottom lip nervously. "I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight." It had been awhile since Loki had slept in the same room as Thor, let alone the same bed, but tonight he wanted to. With the revelation of his true blood, he thought he would feel better if he wasn't alone with his thoughts tonight.
A silly grin spread across Thor's face. "Of course, brother!" He grabbed Loki's wrist and pulled him into his room. Thor's room was even larger than Loki's, with a bed fit for a king. Or, in this case, a pair of princes.
Loki climbed into Thor's enormous bed and snuggled under the covers, wrapping the soft sheets around him, while Thor changed out of his leather day wear. A few moments later, Loki rose up with the bed as Thor jumped on the mattress.
"Ooff." Loki groaned as Thor scooted up against him, wrapping his arms around him. "Thor . . . Too . . . Tight . . . Can't . . . Breathe!"
"Sorry, brother." Thor said sheepishly, loosening his grip on Loki.
"It's okay." He gasped, feeling oxygen re-enter his lungs.
"Do you have any stories, brother?" Thor asked eagerly. Often when the two boys slept in the same room, Loki would recount tales he had read or heard from Mother recently. It was somewhat of a tradition from when they were even smaller, and Mother would regal them with tales of kings and warriors of old.
"I am afraid that I have not."
"Good! Because for once I have one!" Thor cheered. "Father told me a very good one today!"
"Really? Let us here it then." Loki smiled. He loved stories, written or oral.
"Centuries ago . . ." Thor began in an overdramatic, drawn out voice, and Loki giggled.
"Centuries ago, the nine realms were on the brink of war. A threat was rising in the icy wasteland that was Jotunheim." Loki stiffened. Jotunheim? The home of the Frost Giants, his true people? How odd that he would hear of it twice in one day, when he had never heard of it before. Wait, what did Thor mean by 'a threat'?
"Loki, are you alright?" Thor frowned.
"Yes, yes, I am fine. Please. Continue." Loki's words may or may not have been rushed.
"Okay." Thor's voice was skeptical, but he continued with his story.
"A threat was rising in Jotunheim. The Jotuns, also known as the savage Frost Giants, were gathering. Under their king, Laufey, the Frost Giants were assembling an army, aiming to launch war against all the nine realms. Their first target? The land of Midgard."
Savage? Loki thought with a chill. He shivered, a cold feeling leaking into his heart.
"Are you sure you are alright, brother? Is it too scary for you?" Thor tried to tease. A trickle of worry in his voice betrayed him though.
"No, I am not scared!" Loki immediately snapped. "I'm just - a bit cold, that is all. Please, go on."
In response, Thor snuggled closer to Loki, and Loki admitted that the warm heat felt good. "If you insist."
"The Frost Giants were gathering in the corners of Jotunheim, preparing to march on Midgard. Then, the Allfather Odin intervened. He knew that if the giants were allowed to invade, they would destroy Yggdrasil itself, for they were armed with the Casket of Ancient Winters, the source of the Frost Giant's extreme power. With it, they could turn any realm into a mirror of their own. So, gathering the bravest warriors in all of Asgard, Odin launched war on the vicious Frost Giants."
Vicious? Loki echoed in his mind. He clenched his fists tightly. What hadn't Frigga told him about the Frost Giants?
"It was a long and difficult battle. Frost Giants do not fight fairly, using their ice magic to fall our warriors without engaging them. But our warriors fought on against the odds, and managed to overcome the enemy. Odin himself defeated the Frost King Laufey, and ended the battle. Laufey was allowed to live, but we obtained the Casket of Ancient Winters, and exiled the Jotuns. None are allowed out of Jotunheim."
"Of course," Thor grinned wickedly "that does not stop some from escaping to the other realms."
"You lie." Loki scoffed at the last part. It was clear to him that Thor was just trying to scare him at that point.
"I do not. Not about the battle, at least."
No, Thor was being truthful about that, unfortunately.
"There are no Frost Giants here, brother." Thor reassures after a long silent pause. "And even if there were, I would not let them hurt you."
"I'm not scared." Loki automatically protested, though that wasn't exactly true.
"No, you are brave. Maybe not as brave as me -" Thor ignored Loki's playful slap, "- but you could definitely handle stupid Frost Giants."
Once again, Loki didn't comment on Thor's degrading choice of words. He curled up on himself like a cat, clutching his fists to his chest. Suddenly, he didn't want to be with Thor anymore. He wanted to be gone, far away from him and his cruel words about Jotuns.
"Are you sure nothing is wrong, brother?" Loki's heart ached at Thor's concerned voice. Would you call me brother if you knew what I was? He thought. If you knew I was one of the Jotuns you just told me about? "Savage", "vicious", and "stupid"?
"I am fine, Thor." He couldn't bring himself to say "brother". "Just feeling a bit off, that is all. I think I may have overused my magic today."
Knowing next to nothing about magic, Thor bought this explanation immediately. "Then I shall not keep you awake any longer. Rest."
"I shall." Loki agreed, and forced his body to let go of some of its tension and relax against Thor. He shut his eyes, intending to fake sleep until Thor had drifted off, so he could think in peace. But his subconscious had other plans, and sleep grabbed him, pulling him into a land of nightmares. Large blue troll-like creatures stalked icy plains where flying snow blinded him and quick winds bit at his skin. Frozen statues of everyone he knew surrounded him as he watched his skin turn blue with overwhelming fear and disgust. Voices shouted at him as he crouched alone in darkness. Savage. Vicious. Stupid. Freak. Monster.
"You told Thor what?" Frigga's voice was deceptively calm. That's how Odin knew he was in trouble.
"I told him the story of the Frost Giant war." Odin repeated cautiously. "The boy needs to learn his history at some point."
"Jotuns. They are called Jotuns." Frigga hissed, annoyed that Odin still did not call them their proper name. "Please tell me you did not dehumanize the Jotuns."
"I told Thor exactly what they were." Odin said firmly, and Frigga scowled, knowing that that was exactly what her husband had done.
"Then you have nearly ruined everything!" She snapped.
Before Odin could act on the confusion that came over him, Frigga continued in an angry snarl. "Loki came to me today, talking of blue skin and frost magic. Either the enchantment was not as powerful as you said it was, or he is a very powerful mage, because with just the cold of a window, Loki overcame it. I told him everything, Odin, and now Thor is going to tell him everything you told him."
For a moment, the shock was naked on Odin's face. But then he schooled his expression into a blank one. "Loki will know better than to associate himself with the Frost Giants."
Frigga scowled. "That is exactly what he will do! He is only 320, Odin! He will think himself a monster! He will be hurt I did not tell him preciously how Asgardians view Jotuns, and he will believe that he is not a part of this family. We may lose Loki, all because you tried to instil the same prejudice of Asgard into Thor."
"That won't happen." Odin said with confidence he did not feel.
"It will if we don't handle this very carefully. Meaning no more tales of savage Frost Giants to Thor, being extremely kind to Loki, and for Nggdrasil's sake, being supportive of his magic for once." Frigga quickly cut off any argument. "You never praise him for it, or even feign interest. Now more than ever, Loki needs to know we love him for who he is. For Loki's sake, try acting like you care about him around him."
With that final scathing remark, Frigga turned on her heel, and left Odin's bedchambers, leaving the Allfather to ponder her words, and the situation that had befallen his family.
You all know the drill. Review, favorite, follow, and the like.
See you when the Fates decree it,
Blue