Request for Dragonfly-Moonlight, sorry it took so long.
The funeral was somber. Thor had put Loki's armor into the small boat neatly and carefully, watched by his sobbing mother and quiet father. At the top of the boat, Thor placed Loki's helm.
He remembered when he first got it.
"You look like a goat."
"Shut up."
"But I like goats."
"Good to know."
Thor stared down at the armor quietly, a tear fell onto a plate of armor. "I'm so sorry, brother."
The boat was sent off, slowly into the black inky waters at the edge of Asgard. It looked dark and sinister without the glow of the Bifrost. All of Asgard watched as it floated away. Glowing orbs were released, and ascended into the night sky. Ascending... Sucked in... Gone.
A red light was at the end of the river, a fire. An arrow was lit. As the boat floated deeper and farther into the dark sea, the arrow was released. It flew through the night, like a shooting star. Then struck the boat. It caught fire immediately, burning bright gold in a sea of black.
Thor let himself cry, he turned his head down ward and covered his eyes. Sobbing into his hands, the only thoughts on his mind were of his brother. His little brother, who had held his hand and kept his secrets. His little brother that he protected and would raze all the Nine Realms to save. His little brother... That he overshadowed.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Thor cried.
Sif had knelt down beside him with a blank but still sorrowed face. She did have her qualms with Loki, but she never hated him. Volstagg held his wife's hand, and comforted his children. Loki and Volstagg got along, even if Volstagg was teasing. But his children loved Loki, he would preform magic for them on Name-days and show them magic baubles. Hogun and Loki got along best, technically, but they weren't particularly close. However, Hogun knew how much Loki meant to Thor. Loki was closest to Fandral, who looked at the boat with glossy eyes. As children they caused all sorts of mischief, especially if girls were some way involved.
"We're sorry Thor." Sif spoke.
"Perhaps if we were kinder to him..." Volstagg whispered.
Fandral sighed. "If only we knew before."
"Wrong things happen to the wrong people." Hogun muttered.
Thor wiped his tears, then nodded. He walked passed them, but felt a tug on his cape. Volstagg's daughter, Hidly, was looking up at Thor with tears running down her cheek.
"Can... Can Jotuns go to Valhalla too?" She asked, lingering in her voice.
"I'm sure they do." Thor lied.
All of Loki's closest friends retreated into the castle. It was custom that after the grieving, was the remembering. Forgetting transgressions and realizing that there was more kindness and joy in life. In the Dining Hall was a feast of all of Loki's favorite foods, drinks and music. They went throughout the room, sharing stories.
"Then he ended up scaring us out of the washroom and into the ballroom!" Fandral laughed.
The room resounded with laughter, either from the memory or just the story. Fandral turned to Thor, and hit him lightly on the shoulder.
"I thought you were going to pass out from embarrassment." He smiled.
Thor gave a weak smile. "Yes... Luckily he had enough mercy to create a shroud of mist to cover us."
"Before the ladies of your mother's Salon laughed us out." Volstagg added, taking a drink.
Thor was quiet again. He stared down at his drink, gently tracing the edge with his thumb. Sif suddenly was beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Thor... There's..." She sighed, pushing her hair to the side. "There's something you should know." She turned and gestured towards the Warrior's Three.
They nodded quietly. Hogun sat beside him, Volstagg and Fandral sat across. This obviously was rehearsed, they looked tense and anxious, even Hogun. Sif cleared her throat and looked into Thor's eyes.
"Loki was appointed as King when the All-father fell into the Odinsleep... And we disobeyed him because we thought that he was purposely keeping you away a reason."
"Which, he did." Volstagg spoke.
Hogun also took a deep breathe. "We believed that his jealousy was what kept you away, not the All-Father's wishes, and we needed you to stop the war with the Jotuns."
Thor was quiet. He wasn't sure what to think, but he sure did feel many things. Anger, towards his friends and himself. How could he have never noticed how much he was hurting his brother? How could they treat him so badly that Thor never noticed. Sorrow, that he did not notice sooner. And spite, how could Odin not tell Loki he was adopted?
"You disobeyed the rightful King of Asgard... For me?"
"We would do anything for you, Thor." Fandral smiled, it quickly faded. "And we should have done everything for Loki."
Thor's lips quivered as he sucked in air and clenched his fists. "If you had obeyed my brother...?"
"Then Jotunheim would be gone, an entire existence erased. They may be enemies, but they deserve no such fate." Odin walked up to them, and sat down near them. "If they did not go after you, all the Nine-"
"Eight." Fandral corrected. They all glared at him. "What? It would have been."
"... All the Realms would be out of balance, and enraged at us. You would still be on Midgard and powerless, and would have never proved your worthiness." Odin took Thor's hand. "And returned to us."
Thor looked at him with a flicker of anger in his eyes. "Loki cannot return to us." He spoke between breathes. "Why did you have to lie, father? What good could it have done? You wanted peace, how could that peace be built on such a weak foundation?"
Odin sighed, looking down somberly. "That is my mistake. You could say all of this was my fault, and it could be true." He looked at them all. "I took Loki in, with the hopes of the two of you learning to cooperate and love one-another unconditionally. That way, when the time came, he could go back to Jotunheim, Casket in tow, would reclaim the throne. With him being King in Jotunheim, and you King of Asgard, I hoped for an eternal peace."
"But why the lies? The deceit? What good would that have done?" Sif asked.
"I did so, because I didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want him to distance himself. I didn't want him to feel different." He put his face into his hand. "But it was a failure... I was a failure. I was not wise enough to see the consequences."
"Nor was I." Thor spoke.
"Nor us." Volstagg added.
Frigga came as well. With the swish of her hand, she created seven goblets of wine. They each took one.
"To our brother, our friend, our son... Our Loki." Frigga raised her goblet.
The others did too. After downing his drink, he looked into the goblet. It was empty, save for a word carved into it. "Forgiveness".
Author's note: I'm so sorry it's so short. All the other fics will be a little less than this as well. Once, again, sorry.