And Then We Were Two

by KitCat Italica

Odin returns to Frigga from the Jotun War victorious, and secretly with an infant in tow. The little Prince Thor meets his baby brother for the first time.

And Then We Were Two

Music: Cinematic Orchestra's "Arrival of the Birds" (aka my go-to story arc music for Thor and Loki's entire lives together: gentle and wondrous, then joyous and carefree, then nostalgic and bittersweet, then hollow and longing)

A/N: This is the oneshot I wrote for my fanfiction class! It was workshopped two weeks ago with lots of helpful feedback (in addition to that of my wonderful beta Kayliana); then it was wrung through the revision machine, and voila! A dose of kid!fic was born!

I'm curious as to how this work's quality measures up to my previous work, given that it's been critiqued and revised much more than my previous fic. And as always, let me know what you think! I'm so smitten each time I hear from y'all! Thanks and enjoy :D

---

Asgard was, as ever, golden. The gentle breeze caressed the city, carrying with it the lingering perfume of jasmine, lavender, and sweet earth. In the late afternoon sun, the realm's turrets and spires gleamed gold and bronze as they stretched toward the clouds from the city streets below, appearing as the points of an ancient crown.

The Æsirs' realm hadn't shone with quite this much splendor in some time. Indeed, its crown prince couldn't remember his home ever being so radiant in his scant five years of life. But now, having successfully snuck away from Nanny Sieghild again, Thor peeked between the gaps in the palace's parapets, bubbling with anticipation as he fixed his too-blue eyes upon the distant Bifrost. Waiting for something to happen.

Today had to be the day. The guards were gathering to the palace gates, decked in their most formal attire. Everyone was dressing up; Mother had even stuffed him and his three younger brothers into their most uncomfortable ceremonial armor, complete with the conventional capes worn only by those of great valor. Thor was proud to wear the ensemble, but until now, he had never known how heavy the weight of a warrior's outfit actually was.

But when the Bifrost finally powered up with a surge of white light, his new clothing was the last thing on the five-year-old's mind. He gasped in excitement, and reached up to the top railing of the parapet, attempting to hoist himself above it to have a better view.

"Tor?" called a curious voice behind him, as four-year-old Tyr toddled up to him onto the stone foyer. "Wa' issit? Izzee coming?"

"I dunno, lemme look!" Thor said, straining loudly as he struggled to pull his chin up past the railing.

There was more unsteady movement behind him, and he heard a familiar voice babble "Fa-da gonnin dor!" He knew it was Balder, who was pulling his blind twin brother Hoder behind him by the hand; coherent speech was a skill the pair of three-year-olds had yet to master.

Thor ignored his siblings' excited nonsense noises, and finally lifted his chin above the stone railing. He quickly hooked his arms over the ledge, keeping himself suspended above the floor so he could take in the view.

"Lemme see, Tor!" Tyr was whining, pulling on his sleeve. "I can' see, I wanna see!"

Thor jerked a kick out at Tyr's ribs, knocking the golden-clad boy to the ground. "Den climb up yourself!" Thor taunted.

Tyr let out a growl that was most likely an attempt at manly intimidation; in his tiny voice, however, it came out more as an impetuous whine. "Toooor…" he wheedled, and started pulling on Thor's leg, making his older brother's boot slip down an inch. "IwannaseeIwannaseeIwannaseeeee-"

"Stooooop!" Thor yelled, and thrashed around with his legs, trying to shake Tyr off but accidentally kicking Hoder in the eye instead. The little boy sat down in shock, not yet processing what had just happened. When it registered a second later, he started to wail.

"Ma-maaaaa!" Balder hollered in righteous indignation, and plopped down next to his bawling twin. "Dor ah Deer-"

"Shuddup, Balder! Tyr, lemme go, gerroff-"

"IwannaseeIwannaseeIwannaseeIwannasee-"

"Ma-maaaa!"

"Toooor izza Biiilgesnipe! Toooor izza Biiiilgesnipe!"

"No I isn't, Tyr! Shuddup, I'm not a Bilgesnipe!"

"Bilgesnipe, Bilgesnipe, Bilgesnipe!"

"I'm not a Bilgesnipe! You're a Bilgesnipe!"

"MA-MAAAAA!"

Hoder was still wailing, Balder was still attempting to summon the dispenser of justice, Tyr was still calling Thor a Bilgesnipe, and Thor was desperately trying to keep his grip on the railing when-

-when he saw it.

When he saw him.

As a young child, he still didn't have a clear concept of time. But even if he had been a grown man, a warrior in his prime, the moment still would have felt like an age in his mind, as an instant of time hung suspended in air, and the universe condensed to nothing but him and the man in the distance, galloping from the Bifrost at the head of his army.

Thor couldn't breathe at the sight.

But the moment ended just as suddenly as it had begun, when Tyr gave a particularly vicious tug on Thor's ankle and sent him tumbling on top of his brother. The impact on stone knocked the wind out of him, but even when he got his breath back, he was still in such a daze at the surreal moment he had just witnessed. It- it was- finally-

All wailing and taunting from the four brothers was abruptly silenced, cut short by the fanfare of horns and roars of celebration from the crowds on the city streets below them. The princes snapped their heads toward the commotion. Thor was grinning wider than he'd ever thought possible.

Tyr looked at him. "Wa' izzit?"

Thor met his gaze, feeling his chest would explode in joy. "I saw him. He's here."

Tyr's face lit up in awe. He quickly looked back toward the parapet, and joined Balder in peering through the gaps in the railing, attempting to spy what Thor had seen. "Wher izzee, Tor? I can' see-"

But Thor was long gone, bounding through the palace halls and loudly proclaiming to anyone who could hear him: "He's home! My father's home! FATHER'S HOME!"

xxx

The road from the Bifrost Bridge to the royal palace was long and winding, and every inch of it was lined with joyous crowds. All were throwing flowers into the air, raising their swords and axes in a triumphant greeting, flying their flags of the Royal Asgardian crest, as Odin's subjects welcomed their king and his men home from war.

The Allfather looked larger than life, Gungnir held aloft at his side, ever regal even with a dark traveling cloak concealing his gold and steel battle armor. His shoulders were laden with the weariness of long years of war and travel, but his head was held high with the pride of a victorious king. He was the very image of Asgard's glory, the symbol of her essence distilled into the presence of one man. And his people loved him for it.

More lines had been etched into his face, both from world-weariness and battle scars. And of course, none missed the remnants of dried blood just below a dark leather patch which covered his right eye. In any other culture, the image would have made the people falter in their celebrations, stuttering uncomfortably as they scrambled for how to greet the new visage of their leader.

But this was Asgard, where battle wounds were a symbol of prowess, and the greatest tales were told of the victories carried behind those wounds. Disfigurement in war was a given, and meant a warrior had given his all for his people. It was a sign of his duty paid to his homeland, with a permanence to ensure none would ever forget it.

So at the sight of his missing eye, his people cheered louder, and even heartier cries of "Norns bless you, Allfather!" and "Long live the line of Odin!" rose through the air, becoming a spirit as tangible as the city itself.

The soldiers behind him were waving to the crowd, catching the flowers and answering their praises with equally-loud shouts of victory. But Odin didn't join them in the merrymaking, and they didn't expect him to. That was the way of a warrior king. He was stoic and resolute in his every action, still carrying with him the costs of the victory, the blood and treasure paid to protect what he had sworn to hold most dear.

But now it was won. His duty was done.

And yet, his duty was never finished.

When at last he dismounted, well within the palace gates, the cheers of his subjects nothing but a muted roar behind him, the captain of the palace guard approached him. He brought his fist to his chest and bowed in greeting to his sovereign.

"My king, it is a great joy to see you return in such splendor."

Odin nodded, and began to walk forward, the captain keeping step with him. The Allfather was hunched over slightly in his cloak, though none commented on it. "Not as great a joy, Fjaldur, as it is to look upon our fair city again after so long a time spent away. All has been well, I hope?"

"As well as can be expected in Your Majesty's absence," Fjaldur replied. "We have had little else to occupy ourselves with beyond awaiting your call to battle."

"Fortunately, our reserve forces were not needed in this campaign. But all is well, the nine realms are at peace once more, and the work in Asgard can begin anew. But first, I wish to greet my queen."

"Very good, my king," Fjaldur said with a sharp nod, and he stood at attention as he let the Allfather continue down the hallway alone.

xxx

When the king finally reached his queen's private chambers, Frigga had already set her skyweaving aside, and stood just within the doorway, awaiting his arrival. Her lilac gown was bedecked with golden vambraces at her arms and a matching girdle cinched around her waist, while her neck was clasped in a necklace of the finest gemstones. Her honey-colored hair was sculpted into an elegant style atop her head, with only a thin cascade allowed to fall over her shoulder.

In truth, Odin was never gladder to see his wife.

As he passed over the threshold and closed the door behind him, Frigga was the one to speak first. "What is it, my king?"

Odin sighed, setting Gungnir aside and petting Geri and Freki between the ears. The wolves panted with wide smiles up at their master. "Can I still not conceal anything from you, my queen?"

"Not anything I require knowing," Frigga teased back, approaching her husband. "We have weathered too many centuries together for that, my dear."

Odin scratched Freki's chin once more, then turned to his wife now standing at his elbow. Her hand rose to cup his cheek, striking blue eyes staring into his. "Well?" she asked.

Odin nodded, and reached to the makeshift sling he had fashioned underneath his traveling cloak, to pull out the stolen treasure held close against his chest.

Her eyes widened, fixed upon the squirming bundle. He watched her raise her hands to her mouth, and waited until she lowered them into a steeple below her lips. She took a deep breath. Only then did he explain in a low voice.

"He is Laufey's son. He was born too small to pass for an acceptable Jotun prince, so he was abandoned in the temple as our forces converged. In the aftermath, I discovered him in the wreckage."

Frigga nodded slowly. She still did not take her eyes off the baby held in Odin's arms. Blue patches were spreading and fading around the infant's skin, chasing the more Asgardian pigments in his flesh as if the Æsir-Jotun War were still being waged within his tiny body.

Slowly, she reached toward him, and brought her hand to gently stroke his sweet little head. After a moment of silence, just looking at him, she quietly spoke.

"You were right to take him in."

Odin nodded, looking down at the baby as well. A moment passed in stillness, as husband and wife took in the new circumstances. And, as always, Frigga perceived everything.

"You don't want anyone to know."

Odin looked up at her. He had anticipated her sentiment, but that was why he was sovereign, and she was not. "No. They must never know. At least not until…"

Frigga's eyes slid up to his. Her disapproval was writ all over her face. "Until?"

Odin leveled her gaze back at her. "Until the time is right, my dear."

There was an unspoken question on Frigga's tongue, but Odin saw it coming. "And no, not even he must know the truth."

"He must grow up not knowing his true heritage? His lineage, how he came to be here? His-"

"No, my queen, he must not," Odin said flatly. His tone was the one he used when he had made his final decision. Not even Frigga could dissuade him from it.

But, she was nearly always given the courtesy that Odin hardly ever afforded to anyone else: an explanation of his reasoning. "We have just won a hard-fought war with Jotunheim. This child's people are now the most hated race in all the nine realms. Surely, Frigga, you must see what trials he would face as he grew, if he were to know the truth from the beginning. How estranged and lonely he would feel, how despised he would be everywhere he went. You cannot want that for him."

"So instead, he is to struggle with his innate differences, without knowing their true cause?" Frigga asked. "He is made to feel as an outcast, with nothing but his own soul as a possible justification?" She shook her head. "We should not keep such secrets in our family. Not like this. I fear…it would only lead us all to anguish."

Odin was quiet for a moment, before he broke his silence with a deep sigh. "There are no easy answers in this, my dear," he murmured. "I do not wish to bring this boy any unnecessary hardship. But given the facts of the matter, I believe this to be the most prudent course forward."

Frigga looked down to the baby again. "I cannot condone it, Odin."

"I am not asking for your condonation, my queen. I am asking for your cooperation. For the sake of the realms." Almost as an afterthought, but not intended as such, he then quietly added, "And for that of the child."

Frigga's lips were pursed, considering. But as a slow breath escaped her nostrils, Odin knew he had her agreement, and was grateful to receive it.

The decision reached, Frigga deftly steered the course to the practicalities of the matter. "What shall we tell them?"

Odin, of course, had thought on this during the journey home. "I returned to Asgard last year, briefly, to meet with the War Council about progress across other realms. That was when he was begat."

Frigga remembered the visit, and nodded. "I have not left my private chambers in some time since, to attend to reading the signs in my skyweaving. None but my attendants would have noticed I had become with child."

"Yes," said Odin. "And he was born some weeks ago, but with the war in its final stages, it would have been a poorly-timed announcement. You deemed it best to wait until the realm could properly celebrate a new prince's arrival."

"And until he could be properly presented to his father, once he returned from war," Frigga said.

Odin nodded in finality, and as Frigga's arms reached to join his, he allowed her to hold the infant Frost Giant in her arms. He was about to reach for Gungnir and take his leave, when Frigga's glance up at him stopped him short.

"And so, my love," she said with a smile on her face, "we have another son."

Odin's one remaining eye lingered upon the calm face snuggled up against his wife's breast. "Indeed we do," he said, and reached for Gungnir. "I have not yet been able to discern his name, but in time I am sure the Norns will-"

"Loki."

He turned to Frigga, who was gazing at the little prince fondly, her eyes bright with just a hint of seidr as the threads of fate wove under her gaze, revealing to her the runes of the child's true name. "His name is Loki."

Usually, Odin had been the one to glean their children's names from the weavings of Yggdrasil's energies that hovered around their newborn bodies. But this time, he noted, it appeared fate was portending of a deeper bond between son and mother, rather than father.

But he did not miss what the runes meant. L, for formlessness, chaos, and the unknown. O, for heritage and nobility. K, for pain and mortality. I, for ice.

To Odin's mind, none of it boded well for the young Jotun.

"I trust your attendants will not breathe a word on this matter?" he asked as he made toward the door.

Frigga laughed gaily. "When have you ever been able to extract my secrets from them?"

Odin glanced over his shoulder again, raising an eyebrow at his wife. "I can conceal nothing from you, yet you and your handmaidens hold a wealth of such knowledge locked away. Is that hardly fair?"

Frigga smirked cheekily at him. "I am your wife, Odin Borson. Fair or not, for the sake of the nine realms, that is the way it must be."

Odin stepped out the door then, Geri and Freki at his heels. "Then let us hope you forever safeguard the nine realms, Frigga Fjorgynnsdottir."

xxx

The Allfather had just emerged from his dressing chambers, wearing the attire of court instead of battle, when a clattering of little footsteps to his left was followed by a weight slamming against his shin, with two tiny arms clinging around his leg tightly.

"I founded him!" Tyr shouted with glee. "I founded Fada fowst!"

Odin smiled as he looked down at his second-born, then looked up to see his young twins toddling down the hall, Balder sucking his thumb while leading Hoder with the other hand, both babbling excitedly.

Odin knelt down to meet his three sons' clumsy embraces. "What a sight you all are, my sons! And where is your oldest brother?"

"I'm right here, Father!"

Odin looked up, his most earnest grin sliding onto his face as he saw his firstborn, his heir, his golden-haired Thor, bounding toward him in utter delight. He collided into his father's chest with a hug, and Odin returned it happily.

"I knew you'd come back, Father, I knew it! I bet you killed all da nasty Frost Giants and blew dem up! Did you bring me back a skull, did you did you did you-?"

"Slow down, my son," Odin said, hardly able to keep the chuckle out of his voice. "Here, let me look at you." He took Thor's face in his hands, looking at him properly. In truth, the king had looked forward to this sight above all others upon his return home.

"You have grown so," he remarked, "as have you all." His sons stood in a line in front of him. Tyr was darker-haired than when he'd seen him last, and he was walking so well, and talking, too! He had the makings of a fine warrior, and Odin was pleased.

Thor, of course, grew stronger with each passing day. He was so energetic and eager, easily taking over a room with his presence. The heir apparent was still so young, but he was well on his way toward becoming a fine king. It wouldn't be long before Odin would begin grooming him even more rigorously for the role, and he had little doubt that Thor would come to wear it well.

Balder and Hoder had only been crawling when last he had seen them, so it was a sight to behold them managing to take unmeasured steps. He had been worried that Hoder had been left behind due to his disability, but Balder appeared to help him at every turn. Of all his sons, Balder in particular had always seemed the most emotionally mature, more aware and perceptive of those around him. He had been born an old soul. It gladdened Odin's heart to see such a trait among his brood.

Indeed, he was proud of them all.

"Have you all been good while I was gone? Each behaving as a prince should?"

Thor and Tyr eagerly answered "Yes, Father!" Balder nodded with exuberance. Hoder hiccupped loudly.

Odin decided to take the last response as a yes. "And you have always minded your dear mother?"

"Yes, Father!" Hiccup.

"And you have been kind to one another, as brothers should?"

Thor and Tyr glanced at one another nervously. Balder was about to open his mouth to tattle, but Thor reached around and pinched his arm before he could say anything.

"Yes…Father…" they all obediently mumbled. Hoder hiccupped again.

Odin raised an eyebrow at his sons. "It does not behoove a son of Odin to hide the truth from his father." Tyr gave Thor a small shove with his shoulder, indicating he was to blame. Thor shoved him back, a little more forcefully. Balder opened his mouth again, but Thor's glare shut him up.

"It is only natural to squabble with one's siblings," said Odin. "But never must you allow it to cloud your judgment. You are all fine young men, and you should treat each other as such. It is a great gift to have brothers such as yours."

The elder three looked down sheepishly. "Yes, Father," they said with reluctance. Hoder gave a particularly loud hiccup.

Odin smiled at him. "Fetch your twin some water, Balder." Balder nodded, and led his twin brother away, who announced their path with loud, echoing hiccups as they left.

Odin stood, and Thor and Tyr followed him down the hall. "Fada," Tyr asked, "wa' happin to yoh eye?"

Odin looked down at his wonderstruck eyes, and simply answered, "The price to be paid in war, my son."

"But how-"

"There will be plenty of time for that tale, and many others, later. But now, you must let your father be. There are matters I must attend to."

"Now?" Thor blurted out in alarm. "But- but you just got back!"

Odin looked at him with the eye of a king, not of a father. "The House of Odin's duty to Asgard is never finished, my son. One day, you will take on this duty as your own, and then you will understand." His gaze softened then. "So go enjoy your leisure time now, while it is upon you."

Thor, ever eager to please his father, nodded. But he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice when he once again said "Yes, Father," and watched his father turn the corner to head toward the throne room, to attend to his never-ending duties as King of Asgard.

xxx

Thor wandered the palace somewhat listlessly, uncomfortable in his formal wear and bored out of his mind. He wanted more than anything to see Father, to ask him all about the war, to hear his stories of how he had avenged his lost eye by blowing up Jotunheim and sending the ugly Frost Giants straight to Hel. But Father was busy, so he had to come up with his entertainment on his own.

He had absolutely no interest in playing with Tyr. His younger brother was his playmate only when he had no other choice, and since they weren't allowed to leave the palace grounds without supervision until they were older, there weren't usually any other friends available. As for Balder and Hoder, they mostly played with each other, and Thor found them boring, anyway. There wasn't much fun to be had playing Gods and Monsters or Rescue the Midgard Maiden when your storm giant foe couldn't do much more than drool and shout out random syllables.

He slumped against a pillar lining the open hallway, idly considering if he should risk sneaking onto the training grounds to try his hand with a dagger, when he saw one of Mother's attendants rushing down a parallel corridor.

Curious, he followed her.

It was Gna, his mother's swift messenger, so it was impossible to keep pace with her. Undaunted, Thor managed to track her path through the palace, and was quite surprised when he neared the north wing, where his and his brothers' rooms were. What could be going on here…?

The commotion was in the nursery, from which Balder and Hoder had just recently been moved. Therefore, the nursery hadn't been used for longer than Thor's five-year-old brain could keep track of, so he couldn't understand what was happening at all. His mothers' attendants were quite busy, which signaled to Thor that he probably shouldn't be here.

This of course meant that he was going to stay, and figure out what it was that he wasn't supposed to know.

He found it simple to conceal himself by flattening his back against the wall just next to the doorframe. The women were all so busy they didn't even notice the crown prince.

He tried to pick up snatches of their conversations, but couldn't make out much. He caught Eir, the chief healer, saying something about how "the blue is gone now, it should be permanent in a week or two," and something else about how it "should be completely harmless." Something could be harmful? Now he had to know what was going on.

Then he heard Vor and Snotra's unmistakable silky whispers, and he realized his mother must be in the room herself. He desperately wanted to know what they were saying, but something in his gut held him back. It was an unspoken truth that no one, not even Father, heard what Vor and Snotra said to Mother in secret. The two Asynjur knew things of the present and future that had never been revealed to any other being of Yggdrasil. Their words were terribly important, and for Mother's ears only.

Their whispers stopped, and abruptly, he heard his mother's quiet voice. "Is he settled?"

"Yes, my queen," he heard Hlin's voice answer.

His mother's again. "All of you, with me. Now."

Thor didn't have time to run to a better hiding place, but as fortune would have it, he had chosen the side of the door nearest its hinges, so it hid him from view as it opened. His mother and her train of attendants did not even notice him as they filed out of the nursery.

Lofn was the last to leave, and as she turned (thankfully, away from Thor) to the latch on the door, she seemed to think better of it, and left the door held slightly ajar before following her queen.

Thor couldn't believe how lucky he was. There was nothing to stop him from finding out what they had been doing in the nursery! Beaming with his mischief, he slipped through the door's opening and into the room.

Everything looked…normal. Just like when Balder and Hoder had been here before. Thor scoured every inch of the room, but he couldn't find anything worth his interest. It was just a bunch of baby stuff. Disappointed, he started to walk out the door.

When he heard a soft coo from the cradle.

Thor turned back, startled. He wasn't even sure what to do. Then, suddenly, he found himself walking toward the cradle, and realized that this could be the secret something the women had been busy with.

He couldn't see anything in the cradle from where he was, so just as he had before on the parapet, he reached up to the cradle's top railings and attempted to hoist himself up. The wooden railing was slicker than the stone of before, but after some maneuvering and straining, Thor managed to pull his upper body to lean on the railing, keeping him up.

What he saw in the cradle nearly made him fall back down.

It was a baby. A baby.

And it was staring back at him.

Thor stared.

The baby stared back.

Thor blinked.

The baby blinked.

Thor felt himself slipping down, but he levered himself back up with his arms, because he just could not. Stop. Staring.

He made a slight grunt as he leaned more weight on his elbow.

The baby made another coo in response.

And Thor was enchanted.

His eyes were as wide as an Einherjar's round shield as he gaped at this little creature. It was just so tiny, and moving, and alive, and utterly miraculous. He didn't have the vocabulary or the self-knowledge at the age of five to describe how he felt, but he couldn't stop looking at this…baby.

He realized he was smiling only when he saw the baby smile back. And it was the most amazing thing Thor had ever seen.

The baby made an excited sound, and reached his little hands up at Thor, fingers fanning out of his palm like blooming flower petals. Thor giggled at the sight, and reached forward to one of the baby's hands.

The baby gripped one of his fingers, hanging on hard. Thor was surprised by how strong the grip was for one so small. This tiny creature was full of surprises, and Thor loved it. He had never encountered any living being quite like this one in all his life.

He was so engrossed in the sight of the baby that he didn't hear his mother open the nursery door. He wasn't aware of her approach either, until he suddenly felt her arm around his middle, moving him to hold him on her hip. It was a good thing too, because if she had alerted him to her presence in any other way, he probably would have been so startled he would have fallen off the cradle.

"What are you doing here, Thor?" she asked. Her voice was gentle, and Thor couldn't detect any hidden reprimand in her tone, so he decided to answer truthfully.

"I saw Gna running, so I followed her, and I hid outside the door, and you were talking with Eir and Vor and Snotra, and I wanted to know what was-"

"Shhhhh," she reminded him. "Not too loud. Babies don't like loud noises."

Thor nodded, and tried to keep his voice down. "And I wanted to know what you were doing, so I went in, and it made a noise, so I just…wanted…to see…" There wasn't anything else he could think of to add, so he fell silent.

Frigga nodded with a warm smile, and brushed an unruly lock of hair from her eldest son's face. "And what do you think of your new baby brother?"

Thor gasped aloud, before quickly closing his mouth, remembering his mother's warning not to be too loud. But he was so caught up in his jubilation he could barely contain himself. "I- you mean- I have- he's-"

"Yes, darling," Frigga said, beaming. "This is your little brother."

"I HAVE A NEW BABY BROTHER?"

The baby started to fuss at the sudden noise, so Frigga had to turn her attention to him, running a hand across his head and making nonsense soothing noises until he calmed down again. When the baby was calm again, Thor looked more ashamed than he had ever been in his life. "S-sorry, Mother…" he whispered.

It occurred to Frigga that she had never heard her eldest son whisper before. "It's alright, Thor. Just try not to startle him." Thor nodded in a solemn oath.

They both looked back at the baby, who had closed his eyes after Frigga's soothing, and looked as if he was falling asleep. Thor was entranced at the sight, and Frigga noticed it. "He is beautiful, Thor, is he not?" she asked.

Thor nodded, never taking his eyes from the sleeping baby. "He's da most beautiful person in da whole wide world." Frigga couldn't help grinning at that. "What's his name?"

"His name is Loki."

"Loki…." Thor tried it out, rolling it around his tongue. "Loooooh-keyyyyyyy…Lo-kiiiiiii…"

"Do you like him, Thor?"

Thor nodded vigorously. "Yes, Mother. I like him very much. I love Loki." The last sentence was made as a triumphant proclamation, and Thor puffed out his chest with pride as if he'd issued a new edict from Asgard's throne, like the little king he was going to be.

"That's wonderful, Thor," Frigga replied. "In fact…there is something I want to ask of you. Something I'd like you to do." Thor looked at her with rapt attention, eager to make his mother proud.

She smiled at his readiness. "Loki is the youngest of our family now. You and your brothers already know each other, but no one knows Loki yet. Loki doesn't have any friends yet." This made Thor's face wither into despair.

"And you are the oldest of your brothers. And you know what that means, don't you?" Thor didn't answer immediately, so Frigga playfully nudged him, knowing that he didn't take this duty too seriously yet. "It means you look out for the little ones. You should always look out for those smaller than you. And when you are king, you will look out for the other realms, especially those smaller than Asgard."

"Like Father did on Midgard?" Thor asked.

"Exactly," Frigga said. "And though you're not king yet, you can start doing this right now…with Loki. So will you look out for Loki, and be his friend?"

Thor nodded again with zeal, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Yes, Mother, I'll be his friend! I'll be his bestest friend ever!"

Frigga laughed. "Very good. And will you make sure to always be there for Loki, especially when he needs you most?"

"Yes, Mother, Loki can count on me!"

"And will you always make sure to love Loki, no matter what?"

"No matter what!"

Frigga beamed at her son, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome, Mother!" Thor exclaimed, and flung his arms around his mother's neck in a wild hug. "Dank you for letting Loki be my bestest friend!"

Frigga laughed again, then set Thor down on his feet. "You're welcome, darling. Now, shouldn't you be getting ready for the banquet? It's about to start soon."

This morning, Thor had been looking forward to the welcoming feast tonight with every fiber of his being, but now he looked at his mother with uncertainty. "But- waddabout Loki?"

Frigga pressed a hand lightly on his back, guiding him toward the door. "Let him be for now, Thor. Babies need lots of sleep."

"Oh, okay," Thor said, but before he and Frigga left out the door, he turned back to Loki and loudly whispered, "Goodbye, Loki! You and me are gonna be bestest friends forever!"