When Thor is a young man, a strange woman passes through Asgard.
She is from one of the other eight realms, and she is hideous and frightening, but she bears no ill will. She is quiet, understanding; she bears a warning. "A warning," she informs Odin as she bows before him in his throne room, seeking to give him council, "That is meant for your eldest son, and heir to the throne. It is a glimpse into the future. May I proceed to give it to him, Your Greatness?"
"You are a seer?" Odin inquires with a crook of his brow, looking for clarification. He shan't have anything dangerous come into contact with his son. "And you wish to bestow the gift of some of your future-sight to my son, but what for?"
"In hopes he may prevent a tragic outcome," the otherworldly, elderly seer replies humbly, with an extra stooping of her shoulders. "And if he cannot, then it will perhaps give him the wisdom to correct the damage done."
Odin considers this with a stroke of his beard and a touch to the patch over his eye. He hums, slowly nodding his consent. "Very well." With a flick of his wrist, he sends a servant to fetch his son. "But know this: if you are lying to me, and you harm him in some manner, you will be killed where you stand."
"Oh, I am very aware, sire," she replies. "Have no fear. I mean him no harm, only truth."
Thor enters the throne room, bold and unafraid. "You have summoned me, Father?"
"Yes," Odin replies. "Come here, boy. Stand before the woman you see at my feet."
Thor does as he's told. He tries his utmost not to grimace at the ugliness of her face, not to stare at her hunched back, not to question her origins.
"She is a seer, Thor, and means to grant you a look into the future. Stand still as she transfers the information to you," Odin instructs, and again, Thor obeys.
He turns and faces the old woman, bending forward slightly to be within reach of her long, four-fingered hand with knobby knuckles and wart-spotted thumbs. She presses her thumb and forefingers to his sinuses and temples, and closes her beady eyes.
Thor, not wanting to trust the woman, aims to keep his eyes open, but the second her shut he is struck, like lightning, with images that leave him gasping for air as his eyes wrench shut of their own accord.
He sees himself, much older, a man with a beard of his own, his hair long, golden, like his father's had been. He sees his brother, Loki, also much older, but smaller, unbearded, hair slicked back, long, black, as always.
He sees them locked in battle atop a high structure made of glass and steel and a stone-like substance on a foreign planet that resembles his idea of Midgard.
Loki wields a staff of sorts, gold and menacing, with a glowing blue orb at the top between claws of gold. It glimmers in his mind's eye with a blinding flash.
He is trying to convince Loki to stop. To show him that people are dying, structures are being destroyed, and that this is horrific and cruel and – why is he doing this, why?
Loki's eyes tear up, like he has remorse, but he stabs Thor – non-fatal, with one of his small throwing knives – in the side, and makes to flee off the side of the tall building. And Thor, the child he is, can feel the anguish of his older self, staring after his brother with relentless sorrow and love, and a twinge of shame and regret.
He sees so much else. He sees flashes of Loki dangling off of the bridge, their father looming over them, and Loki falling away. He sees Loki standing outside a glass dome Thor is trapped in, remarking, "They think is immortal; shall we test that theory?" and Thor resigning himself not to talk Loki out of it, not to say a word, only to cry, because he can't understand how it has come to this. Then he plummets.
He sees so much in the forefront of his mind, moments concerning his brother as the main focus. His brother, and how deformed their relationship has become, worlds at war. Thor's banishment, and Loki on the throne. So much, so much…
Then, just as quickly as the images began pouring in, they leave him. He drops to his knees, tears streaming down his young face, and the woman steps back, apologetic.
"I am sorry you had to see that, young master," she murmurs, and Odin leans forward in his throne, on guard. "But it is necessary. I pray you understand, or will come to, what needs to be done."
Thor blinks at her through his tears and shakes his head at first, prior to giving a small nod. "I will try."
The seer is dismissed, but before she parts, she whispers in Thor's ear, hand on his shoulder, "Tell your father nothing of what you saw. It was for your eyes and your eyes only. Do not let him know, child."
And when she leaves, naturally, Odin asks what she showed him. Thor merely says, "Nothing of concern to you, Father. It was of my reign as king, that is all."
Odin doesn't seem to like this answer, but he lets it lie for now. Thor is dismissed. Out in the hall, Loki is waiting for him, looking so puny compared to his older self Thor was granted sight of.
"What did Father want?" he asks, and Thor hesitates. Is he allowed to tell Loki? Loki was part of the visions, after all. He was the problem in them, as a matter of fact. And if he knows about it, won't he avoid making mistakes that will lead to that outcome?
Thor walks down the hall, Loki tagging along at his heels. "It was a seer. She gave me glimpses into the future," he states. There, facts only. Nothing that can be of any harm.
"Incredible! What did she show you? Ahh, I bet it must have been amazing," Loki says eagerly, smiling. But when he glances at Thor, his face changes. "…It wasn't? What is wrong, brother?"
"Not here," Thor murmurs. He takes Loki by the wrist and leads him to a more secluded place: one of their hiding spots. He sighs and releases the younger boy and looks at him with pleading eyes. "Do… do you swear a blood oath on our brotherhood not to tell Father?"
"I swear," Loki replies. "Cross my heart and run me through." And he makes an 'X' over his chest with his pinky finger. "Now what is it? You look so austere, Thor."
"I saw us, as we were as adults," the golden boy murmurs. "And we… were pitted against one another. You hated me," Thor chokes, "And I only wanted to make amends to you. You were severely wronged, although I don't know how, and you helped rage a war on Midgard."
Loki blinks. "I… I would never do such a thing. I wouldn't! I love you too much to fight you, and I dislike fighting, you know that! I am awful at it unless I use my powers to trick and lie to gain the upper hand of surprise. You are the warrior, not I. And surely I can't become a warmonger? Why would I? What could be so terrible that I would turn against you?" he says with tears forming in his eyes.
Thor shakes his head, his own eyes stinging, and he stubbornly presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, wiping the wetness roughly away. "I don't know. I couldn't see as much. But please, brother. Please, promise me you will do all you can to help me prevent such a tragedy."
Loki swallows with difficulty, but he nods. He grips Thor by the shoulders, despite their height difference. "I promise you, Thor, I will not let it come to that. I won't hurt you. We shan't be enemies. I swear a blood oath on our brotherhood."
Thor smiles and grips Loki's forearms in assurance. "Thank you."
# # #
"You swore a blood oath!" Thor cries out desperately, but Loki, even with the tears in his eyes, casts it aside in disgust.
"And what good is that when we aren't related by blood, I ask you? I am a bastard child of Laufey! I am not your brother!" and again, my moves to attack. "He abandoned me, as did the mighty Odin! I belong to no family, especially none of yours," Loki hisses, scowling and emotionally wounded and pinning Thor to a wall. He leans in close. "And in the end, I have resented and been more jealous of you and your shining glory than I have loved you."
"You can't mean that," Thor whispers croakily. "You cannot. We were raised together. I have shown you nothing but love and kindness. Why are you doing this? Isn't your pain enough? Why must you inflict it on others? Please, I pray you, Loki: let me share your burden of pain and betrayal. I will shield you, if you let me. I will ease your suffering. Please, brother."
"I…" And the trickster falters, but merely for a moment. "I am not your brother!" he roars, and then Thor is sent flying backward through the wall, bruises surely forming beneath his armor, and an ache in his breast spreading. He sheds a few tears willingly, for the physical pain, for his terrified brother.
"So be it," Thor utters brokenly. And with a battle cry, he summons Mjolnir to his hand, and charges.