"Father," Thor knelt and brought his fist to his chest in respect.
"You asked to see us, my king?" Asked Fandral as he and the other three did the same as their princely companion, dropping to their knees.
"Yes, I did," the All-Father responded. He motioned to them all, showing them that they could rise to their feet; they did. "My son, Lady Sif, Warriors Three, I have summoned you with the purpose of sending you on a quest." The five friends exchanged excited looks. "It will be dangerous, but it requires no one but the best warriors of our realm. Obviously, I have deemed you five to be those warriors."
"Where will you be sending us, my king?" Lady Sif asked.
"Midgard."
A wide, nearly wolfish grin spread on Fandral's face and he looked to Thor, who returned a knowing smile.
"But," the king began, causing the young men's smile to fade slightly. "It will be to a different area than any of you have ever been before. It will not be the familiar Nordic setting that you are accustomed to. You will be going to a place called Brittania. There have been reports of one or more creatures ravaging the land." The aged king paused and rose to his feet. "Your mission will be to kill or imprison these beasts and to restore peace to the surrounding regions." He met his son's gaze.
"It will be done at once, my father," Thor responded firmly.
The five of them began to walk away, but the kings voice stopped them again.
"One more thing, Thor," he began. "Your brother will be joining you shortly."
"LOKI?!" Thor shouted, wheeling around to face his father. "But father, I don't… Is that really wise?"
"I believe it is," Odin returned placidly.
"Did Loki wheedle you into allowing this? Or was this your idea?" Thor demanded.
"This was not my doing, but rather the doing of a young boy asking his mother to propose an idea to his father," Odin replied.
"Mother spoke to you of this?" The youth asked.
"Yes, and after many hours of conversing in earnest, she convinced me to allow Loki to accompany you."
"Father, I don't-"
"Silence, Thor," Odin stopped him. "Do not question my judgment and do not press this matter any further, lest you wish to infer the wrath of your mother."
With a slight gulp at the idea of his mother becoming cross with him, Thor silenced himself and bowed to his father.
"Yes, father," he spoke softly. "I shall do as you say."
"I cannot fathom how my father would think allowing Loki to come along is prudent!" The eldest prince exclaimed to his four friends as the marched through the halls of the palace.
"Thor," Fandral began. "You really shouldn't speak so harshly of your father. Anyways, would it truly be as bad as you say if Loki were to accompany us?"
"Yes," Thor stated fiercely. "It would be. The fool has scarcely travelled further than the boarders of the city, let alone gone on a mission. He refused to be trained in combat as I was and, instead, spends his time locked up in either his room or the library pouring over dusty old manuscripts filled with spells and incantations. He is practically hopeless in hand-to-hand combat!"
"Hmm," Lady Sif hummed. "That is rather inconvenient with the mission in mind."
"Well, perhaps," Fandral continued, scratching the back of his blond head in an easy going humor. "But all I'm saying is that I don't think that it will be quite the Ragnarök that you're making it out to be."
"Also, I'm having a hard time understanding how this happened anyway," Thor continued. "Loki usually couldn't care less about being left behind while we are sent on missions. I am inclined to think that this was either entirely my mother's doing or else it was due to the peer pressure and nagging of a friend of Loki's… if he has any… I just don't see any other possible accounting for i-"
"Oh, I volunteered of my own accord, brother," a soft, silvery voice stated as a darkly clad figure stepped out from around a pillar.
"Loki!" Thor exclaimed.
"Do you not think me capable of coming to the decision to join you on my own?" The dark-haired youth asked sharply.
"No… well… that is…" The older brother fumbled slightly before straightening and taking several steps towards his younger sibling. "I merely thought that it was out of the ordinary for you to wish to come with us at all," he smoothed over, extending his arms.
"And you thought right," Loki stated coldly, brushing past him. "Congratulations, Thor. Your skills of observing the total obvious are improving."
While Thor took this insult rather badly, Volstagg took the opportunity to attempt to lighten the mood instead of standing by awkwardly while the two brothers quarreled.
"So, Loki," the rotund, red-bearded man began jovially. "You are coming with us. Wonderful! I'm sure this will be an exciting first for all of us! Perhaps whi-"
"While your attempts to improve the atmosphere are appreciated, Volstagg, I am afraid they will do nothing to disarm my brother's frustration with me," the younger prince stated. "Why don't you all take your leave to prepare for our journey?"
"Er, yes," Fandral nodded at the boy's suggestion.
Taking the hint, they all left the two brothers alone in the hall. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Loki turned to his older brother with a teasing grin.
"Are you cross, brother?" The youth asked cheekily.
"Loki…" The blond prince warned.
"Don't take such jests to heart, dear brother," he said in tone of mocking comfort as well as a indicative edge to his voice. "I've heard tell that it gives one a strange desire to spend time alone, read, and study things like… magic," he spoke with mock horror in his voice. "Can you imagine?"
"Loki, is this merely one of your tricks?!" Thor shouted. "Did you devise this whole nonsensical idea of you coming on a quest with us merely for your own amusement?"
"No," he answered coldly. "I have completely solid reasons for coming. The fact that it would vex and confuse you was merely an enjoyable factor that surfaced afterwards."
"Loki," Thor softened his tone, attempting to contain his frustration. "I'm not sure you should come. It could be dangerous."
"All the better," the younger brother returned with a glint in his vibrant green eyes. "Do you not think that I can handle myself, brother?"
Thor paused at this and considered his words carefully. "I think perhaps you should train before you come with us on one of our missions."
Loki brushed past him again and began to walk away. "Father has given me leave to join you, and join you I shall."
"Do you even know how to prepare for such a conquest?" Thor shouted challeningly.
"I packed last night right after I convinced mother to reason with father to let me go," he responded.
"How did you even know of the quest yesterday?" Thor demanded loudly after him. "We learned of it a few moments ago!"
Stopping in his tracks, Loki turned around and looked at his older brother.
"Well, my knowing of it first would be due to the fact that I have keener ears than you do, wouldn't it?"
"You spied on father?!" Thor exclaimed.
"I wouldn't call it that," he mused. "More like simply listening intelligently instead of bellowing constantly like a wounded bilgesnipe. It's a useful tactic, you should attempt to learn it sometime."
"I DO NOT BELLOW!" Thor bellowed.
The dark haired boy chuckled quietly and said in his softest, most collected voice, "Of course not, brother. Now," he began, walking away. "I shall meet you and the others outside the palace when it is time to depart. I have a few more books to pack. Oh, and Thor, do try to accept the fact that I'm coming by the time we have to leave."
