This is post-Thor AU. For context: Loki let the Jotuns into Asgard, Thor and company went to Jotunheim, Thor was banished, Loki took the throne (but he does not know he is frost giant), Thor came back like he did in the movie, but the fight on the Rainbow Bridge did not.

I hope this makes sense, but if it doesn't, I'll take the time to write it out to make it clear.


Loki had never wanted the throne. He was second born, and he had cherished the fact he had the freedom to decide his life more than Thor did. The pressures of the crown were lost on Thor through the years, but Loki understood them better than anyone ever expected him to. Thor thought being King meant leading the armies and politics would be left to his councilmen. More importantly, it would be left to Loki.

Over the years, Loki's intelligence shaped his future more than Thor's future with the crown. The councilmen were wary of Loki's sharp mind and silver tongue, they could be assured that Thor would step up to take the throne, but that Loki would help Thor make the best decisions.

Until Thor's coronation did they not fear retribution from the younger son. Even if Loki made it known that Thor was not ready to take the head, they did not ever believe he would try to usurp Thor. Until he let the Frost Giants into the vault to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Loki may have jumped the gun in his arrogance. He was sure that Thor was not ready, and though he had been right, it caused more problems than solved them. In the end, however, Thor's banishment proved that he was not ready to take the throne from his father.

In the end, Thor just walked away.

He gave up the throne, confronting his father about his newfound desires, his sense of purpose. He was resolute, even if he was doing this for childish needs, he was certain that ruling the realm was never in his future. Not the way Thor saw it.

Odin had the trouble then of the second son's ascension. The rumors of the Frost Giants getting into the Weapons Vault were few and far between, many of them were so far-fetched that even those who whispered about the attack didn't believe the words they spoke. Odin was assured that Loki's mischief had not caused too many problems.

Odin was reluctant to just give the throne to Loki. He was growing weary, even after his Odinsleep, he knew he would need to rest again sooner than the last. It would come sooner than he thought, and though he kept Loki on a tight leash, he fell into Odinsleep once again. Better planned, and Loki as well as Asgard, prepared for Loki's eventual ascension.

Loki gazed thoughtfully at the throne, gold and astute. Gold matched his color scheme, decided by his mother from when he was young, to accompany green. He'd detested the colors, but perhaps his mother saw him the King rather than Thor. A thought for another time, perhaps.

His councilmen were waiting for his attendance, and he was reluctant to meet with them yet. His father stepped down, in the most official manner possible. Loki knew Odin would still never be able to give Loki the throne willingly, always dangling it into his face, even now with Thor walking away from his birthright, directly giving it to Loki instead.

He hated the man, even now, but he understood why. And it had nothing to do with the fact he was Frost Giant, but everything to do with Odin's loss of trust in Loki over the years.

He didn't stand there for much longer and proceeded into the antechamber next to the throne room to meet with his men. They were much older than he, many having helped Odin from the very beginning. He would have to assess their worth for the future, and his plans for Asgard. He was privy to many of the issues and had suggestions for them all, but he hadn't the power to inflict much change with his father sitting at the head of the table.

Now that he was the one to sit in the raised chair, he felt a dizzying sense of power wash over him as he took the measure of the men before him. They all raised from their seats, laying fists over their hearts and bowing to him. His coronation would be in an official capacity soon, but for now, the Asgard people will mourn for their fallen king. Loki would need to be careful, as the people of Asgard expected Thor, and now Loki was King, he would need to allow them to adjust to his new role.

Håvard, one of the elder men present who also served as Loki's tutor for many years, spoke up first. "Majesty, we are deeply honored to have you present today after such distressing times."

Loki nodded his head. "I'm certain that many of you would not wish I sit at this table." He held up his hand so those who roused to speak did not say anything until he was finished. "However, I am here now, and I will rise to the role set forth for me."

"We would never-" Håvard began to speak up, but Loki put his hand up again to stop him.

"I will hear none of it. There is nothing you or I can say that will change the past. We have the future of Asgard to look towards." Loki paused, allowing his words to sink in for all the men sitting. Some of them still looked wary of having Loki sit in what used to be Odin's place, where the men thought Thor would sit while Loki would sit in a less dignified chair beside him. "I wish to discuss the current problems at hand. Thor is now on Midgard, but there have been stirrings about other realms under unrest. Since I am now King, I would like to make it known to them that this does not change Asgard's status nor stance on previously made agreements until I am certain they can be upheld."

"There have been stirrings in Svartalfheim, your majesty," Joakim says, sitting towards the end of the table with various books and scrolls in front of him. By far the messiest, but he is known for having the knowledge of all Asgard. Knowledge to even rival Loki's, though he was young, his brown eyes seemed to absorb everything, even if his lanky appearance and a mop of brown hair make him look scrawny and very unlike every normal Asgardian. Loki saw promise but also a threat, because he saw himself in the boy.

"The Dark Elves were said to be in hiding since the war with Bor generations ago," Loki stated, his hand coming to rest under his chin.

The Dark Elves were a problem centuries ago, but their presence in the Nine Realms was weak. Since the war, they went into hiding and were never seen again. Loki knew better than to think they were gone, Odin and Bor had thought the same. The Aether, to Loki's knowledge, was on Asgard somewhere hidden away. Even those who were there in the war fighting alongside Bor were long dead.

"Any other words spoke of them?" Loki inquired.

"None, your majesty. Whisperings, but their sudden presence seemed most unsettling with news of Odin's sleep and Thor's banishment," Joakim responded.

"What of their numbers? Do we have records of that?" Loki asked Joakim, but he shook his head.

"They may have been waiting to gather their strength, but Heimdall states he has not seen them," Sigurd, the war general, states. Sigurd was Odin's general through the war with the Jotun's, and though he has aged, he is much younger than Odin and has never wavered in strength.

"I have great trust in Heimdall's abilities, but even the great seer has let many slip past his watch," Loki jeered. Many of the council looked at him surprisingly. Loki laughed easily. "Certainly missed Thor and I as we were exploring the outer rim of Asgard when we were boys."

The council released the tension and laughed with him. Some of the council remembered the ear ache they had from Frigga as she stormed in to berate Odin in such a public manner about the many times her sons slipped from Heimdall's view and she was left in a fit trying to find them. Odin had tried to console her, but not until her boys were found, in which the council would have to be disbanded so they could all go searching for the two explorers. Many times, they found them in their rooms, while others were in not so good situations that got the boys in deep trouble with their mother.

Loki remembered those times fondly. He had felt like an equal to Thor when he was in trouble with their mother. Perhaps that was why he always searched for mischief.

"Anyways. Have Heimdall keep a close eye on the situation. If he sees any more disturbances I want them reported to me immediately." Loki closed the matter. Though it was not a done deal, Loki felt accomplished that he managed the first set of problems with the council without too many issues. "Next order of business."

"As King, you are now under the prospect of marriage, your majesty," Håvard stated plainly.

Loki sucked in a breath, having forgotten his small victory and falling very well on his ass being served that tidbit of information. There was a rumble of conversation as the councilmen all argued over whether it was the right time to task that with the king, and on his first day. Håvard argued that a prepared king is best, and especially when making the decision to marry.

When Loki was able to regain his composure, thankfully given the time to grieve internally for a few moments while the council argued, he finally put his hand in the air to silence them. Despite the topic of conversation, he was a bit jarred by their immediate response.

"Your majesty, if I may," Håvard spoke up tentatively. Loki nodded his head, giving him his full attention. "There have been conversations with many realms for a marriage proposal from Asgard. Odin considered many of them noble, but he never made any decisions. Not for you, or for Thor."

"Which realms?" Loki asked. He knew of a few realms with princesses who would be suitable for marriage but wanted to hear them all.

"Vanaheim, Alfheim, and even Nidavellir," Håvard answered, gesturing to another older gentleman sitting next to him who shuffled through a few papers before handing them off to Håvard, who then handed them to Loki.

There were dates of the supposed meetings and who stood in the place of the king during these talks. Loki grew up with the idea that he would marry a princess, but he imagined the process to be less demeaning to the romanticism his mother brought him up with.

His councilmen were quiet for a while as Loki looked over the papers, reading every word carefully. Vanaheim had a much more stable government than the others, and they married off Frigga, a Vanir, to Odin. They had a princess that was around Loki's age, a bit younger yet, but she had shown promise to the man that met her initially.

Alfeim was no different, though the light elves were known for their cunning, they had married off one of theirs to Bor's second son. They lived on Alfheim, despite marrying into the Asgardian Royal family.

Nidavellir was an interesting idea, as the dwarves had forever been master forgers and great business and political partners. Marriage was never discussed between the dwarves or any of the other Nine Realms. But they were beginning to show promise in their growing civilization that thrived on the trade agreements with Asgard. Even with no war to furnish weapons, they still made hefty profits selling other products, and not just to Asgard.

Loki would have to further think about this, but as he went to close the topic for another time, he had a thought.

"What of Midgard?" Loki asked. He was sure the human race was evolving. From what he saw on the throne for the short while when Thor was banished, they'd advanced far more than he remembered from the last time he visited. Even if their lives were short, they seemed to have made a name for themselves. Even if they are only protected under Asgard, especially after Odin defeated the Jotun army on Midgard. He didn't know how a marriage would work, given their life expectancy, but if it would open Midgard to the Nine Realms, then Loki felt he should be the first in his family to do so.

He turned his attention to the council. They were dumbfounded, none of them speaking because they had no words to directly say. Loki's brow rose, questioningly. Surely this was not a total shock to them all.

Finally, Joakim spoke up. "Your majesty never has there been talk about approaching Midgard. Not since the Jotun War."

"Odin made it clear they were just to be protected," Sigurd argued.

"On what grounds would we even be able to make a deal to have such an arrangement?" Håvard piped up.

"The Asgard people need some solidity in power. Choosing the fleeting life of a Midgardian would tarnish the Asgardian lineage," Sigurd spoke again. All talk around the table stopped, once again. Loki cooled his features.

"Nothing would tarnish the Asgardian throne so long as I, or anyone else, has to say about it," Loki said slowly, enunciating. Sigurd's face turned red but wisely held his tongue.

"Midgard would actually not be a bad idea," Joakim said. Every eye shot to him, his shoulders slouched, and his head dropped to the table where he had pulled a piece of paper out.

"Go on," Loki prompted. Joakim's brown eyes frantically searched the table before he sighed and pushed the parchment he was holding closer for everyone to see. It was old and withered.

"When Bor was King, he made talks with the early humans. Many of them were against the idea, according to Bor himself. Eventually though, one of his own advisors fell in love. Bor accepted the marriage, but they stayed on Midgard." Joakim pushed the paper further when he was done looking at it. Håvard grabbed it when it was closest to him and read it over before handing it to Loki. He was surprised to see it was even written in Bor's handwriting. He was never a great father like Odin became, but he had drawn and written children's stories about his adventures. He'd read them all with Thor when they were younger.

"How is that relevant?" Sigurd asked, looking at the paper himself when he was handed it.

"Well, we offered Midgard protection the first time. Politically, we could benefit from an arrangement with them this time," Joakim responded easily. He shrunk back when Sigurd gave him a withering look as he was handing back the parchment.

"I still don't see the benefit," Sigurd state easily.

"I'm not against the idea," another councilman, who hadn't spoken the entire time, Brynjar, said. Loki locked eyes with the man, sitting next to Håvard. Aside from Sigurd, Brynjar was a mighty warrior but had proved to be strong in talking with the people. He became a political advisor, the one that was sent in the King's stead when the King himself could not attend. Loki knew him to be shrewd, and despite being good in talking with the people, was known for so few words.

"Brynjar, you couldn't possibly," Sigurd objected. Brynjar shrugged his shoulders before facing Loki.

"Majesty, the people were expecting Thor after Odin. If I may speak so plainly, they were expecting a new and fresh Odin. Now they have you, and you could be the change Asgard sorely needs in the advancing world we live in. The other realms look to us for being on top. Including another realm that has been cut off from the rest of the universe would be a wise decision politically, but also for the people's morals." Brynjar sat back in his seat. Many of the men's heads were nodding in agreement, while Sigurd and his strategist sitting next to him were not impressed.

"There's nothing wrong with the system we have now," Sigurd seethed, hands clenching into fists.

Loki raised his voice so a fight wouldn't break out. "I feel this will take more discussing," he eyed Sigurd who stayed silent, but would not meet Loki's gaze. "I would like Joakim to write up a proposal for a meeting. Brynjar, I'd like to have you work with Håvard about going to Midgard and open the communication field. If we must, we'll contact Thor. He has friends there that could get us to talk with someone in power. For now, I'd like to move onto other important matters."

Loki spent so long in the council meeting, they had nearly skipped dinner. It wasn't until Frigga finally fetched Loki did they realize the late hour. His councilmen had much to catch Loki up on, and luckily Asgard was almost self-governing, so they discussed Loki's coronation for a while. The moving onto smaller issues. None were as tasking as the talk about his future marriage, but he was exhausted by the time he made it to dinner with his mother. They took it privately, as Loki couldn't stand the company of any but his mother.

Since Odin had returned to them, and Thor made light to what Loki did, Frigga and his relationship was rocky at best. She loved and supported Loki and Thor equally the best she could, and she supported Thor when he left, despite it hurting her inside to see him go. Frigga was less so of Loki at the moment, understandably, but Loki couldn't stand the lull of ice between them. He tried to act like it didn't bother him since his mother had every right to be mad at him, but he was getting tired of stepping around the issue. Frigga sensed Loki's unrest and sighed. They'd been silent for the entire meal, and all the meals before then unless talk was absolutely necessary.

"Odin is in deep sleep, deeper than last time," she said finally. Folding her hands in her lap she faced Loki.

"We expected as much," Loki responded tersely. Frigga sighed again, and then after a moment finally reached out to Loki. She placed her hand on Loki's arm gently.

"I still love you. Despite what you did," she said. Loki's eyes shot to hers, hardening.

"I did what I had to," Loki seethed. Frigga's back straightened, her own eyes hardening.

"You didn't need to do all that you did. You didn't need to do any of it," Frigga said tightly. Loki retracted the arm she was touching like she'd burned him.

"And what would you have me do? Sit by while the big oaf figured out he didn't want the throne after he was coronated?" Loki stood from his chair, nearly knocking it down in the process. "I did what I thought was right because no one would listen to me." Loki bared down on his mother, standing over her with his hands at his sides, seething.

"Loki-"

"No. I will not sit here and be told lies," Loki spat. He stormed out of the room and didn't glance back at his mother on his way out.

Guards were now stationed outside his room like they were outside Odin's rooms. Odin was taken to a room deeper in the palace and guarded by his personal royal guards. Loki was given new royal guards that were to guard his rooms at all times. It was odd seeing them there, now as he walked towards them. He had a room in one of the towers, further away from the rest of the royal family but close enough so he could reach them easily. He'd chosen this bedroom after Thor and he moved out of their shared room not far from Odin and Frigga's chambers. Thor took rooms that were closer to the main part of the palace while Loki took to separating himself from the people below. He enjoyed his tower because he could see Asgard before him, and the stars were easier to see from his balcony which poured light in during the day and the moons would glow softly at night.

When he reached his rooms, the guards stood to attention.

"I am not to be disturbed," he ordered, then walked into his rooms.

There was talk about him moving quarters, but he didn't feel he was ready to move into the King's chambers. Not yet.

With a big breath, Loki tried to reign in his emotions. He'd felt guilty for yelling at his mother, but he couldn't help that she was enabling Odin. He did what he could, he tried telling his parents that, proving it to them, but in the end, he had to do something to make Thor realize it himself.

Loki went to his table where he had a thing of wine and a glass, pouring himself some. Then, his rage filling him again threw the glass at the wall. It shattered, making Loki feel better for just a moment before he realized what he did. Loki shed out of his clothing, deciding a bath would help with his mood. Hopefully.

He tried to forget about his mother while he let the warm water soak into his skin, to relieve the stress and the nerves. Relaxing back and then dipping under the water to get his hair wet. It was getting longer, not nearly as long as Thor's as Loki had always preferred it shorter, clipped and tamed. He was unfortunately given unruly curly hair that took much of his morning routine to try and tame. He didn't have brute strength like Thor to show for, so he showed himself as handsome. He'd never had trouble getting women into bed, though not as much as Thor. As Loki got older, he stopped caring that his brother bedded more women than he did, preferring the company of a few than going for women who simply wanted to bed him to get closer to Thor.

He wondered, then, what marriage would be like with each of the prospective Realm's he could marry into. The Vanir's were similar to Aesir, in almost every likeness, except they were less brutish than Aesir. More suitable to Loki's tastes, and he had bedded many Vanir women in his time when there were festivals.

Light elves were even more delicate looking than the Vanir, but they were known to be vicious. In battle, Asgard described them as ruthless killers. They hadn't had a war in centuries, so the stories might not be true, but it would be interesting to see. Loki hadn't seen many of the women as they mostly stayed on Alfheim. The men were beautiful, in their own right, Loki had to admit.

Dwarves were another deal altogether. There were many that were beautiful, but Loki didn't like the idea of having to deal with the physical differences. They lived impossibly long, too.

Then there was Midgard. Loki's idea had sprung to him on the fly, and though the council seemed to be in almost agreement, Loki was still uncertain of the idea himself. Unlike the dwarves and any of the other choices, they lived such fleeting lives. If he were to marry one, something would have to be done about it. To his knowledge, nothing was made to change how long a human lived. Aesir lived long lives because that was how they were born. Midgard was the only inhabitants of creatures that didn't live long, and from his readings over the years had never shown that ever changing. Most of the texts were of its history from long ago, maybe things have changed since then?

Loki sighed again, not feeling totally himself yet, and the bath only helping so much. He got out and got dressed in some soft pants and crawled into bed. Tomorrow would be another long day.


(Earth)

Her eyes hurt. Her everything hurt. Even as she trudged up the last few steps to her parent's apartment. Hannah had four very heavy bags in her hands, and she hoped that someone would get the door when she kicked it with her feet.

Thankfully, her brother was nearby and opened it for her. She came in, smiled tightly at him, and then trudged the rest of the way into the kitchen. She was surprised to see her brother still here, expected him to be gone by the time she got out of work. Well, she really hoped that he was gone because that meant her nephew would be gone. The annoying little shit grated on her nerves, and with him being here during the week drained her.

Long wispy white curls came into her view and she saw him reaching for one of the bags.

"Did you get it?" he asked excitedly, his hands digging into one of the bags.

"Yes. Would you stop?" she jerked the bags away from him, groaning when her hands and arms protested the sudden movement. "Give me a minute to set the bags down."

"Which one is mine?" he demanded, digging through another bag. She slapped his hand.
"Let me get it," she told him, reaching into another bag and pulling out his boneless wings.

"Spicy right?" he asked, eyeing them intently. She rolled her eyes, stopping herself from quipping something at him while her brother was in the room.

"Yes. I know which ones you like you butt," she told him. He ran off onto the couch to go back to his game. "Napkins! You need napkins!"

"No, I don't," he said. He put on his earphones and started talking to whoever was on the other end of the game chat.

Hannah rolled her eyes again, not finding the strength in her to argue. Her brother was on the phone, so she started unpacking the bags. Their kitchen was small, and not a lot of storage space. Their fridge was deep, short, but could still hold a good amount. Their pantry was stuffed as far as it could hold, and their cabinets were the same. Since their move into this apartment, they'd had to consolidate, but with her mother's tendency not to let things go, provided for a very cramped home.

The rest of the apartment was much the same. A two bedroom, with two baths, a living room enough for a three-person couch, a tv, and a coffee table, and a dining room with their four-person table. When her nephew was with them, he slept on the couch, since she refused to share her room with the kid.

Her brother got off the phone as soon as she tossed the plastic bags in the trash.

"We're heading out now," James told her. She nodded her head, tired but glad that her nephew would be leaving finally. She wouldn't voice it to him, but he understood.

"Austin, say bye to Grandma and Aunt Hannah," James told him. Austin was reluctant to put down his game but did as his father asked. Austin went into her parent's bedroom and came out shortly after.

"She's sleeping," he says, then walks over to Hannah and gave her a quick hug. He grabbed his wings from the couch and then after her brother said goodbye to their mom and her, they were gone.

She sighed in relief, the house already starting to feel more comfortable to be in. Slipping out of her work shoes, she limped into the bathroom to take a shower. She worked part-time at a coffee house while she did her teaching on the side. It was a way to help pay bills, even with her graduate degree, she made a pittance to what was needed to support herself and to help her parents. She smelled like a coffee shop, and today she'd had an issue with the blueberry pump at work and managed to get it all over her arm. She'd smell like blueberries for a week, no matter how hard she scrubbed.

She didn't spend long, despite wanting to just sit in the shower for hours to let the world slip away, she had some work to do for her other job for a class she was substituting the next day. It was a high school class, much to her disdain, but it paid the bills. She'd done most of her substituting in college classes, but her old high school reached out to her in need when they heard she had a graduate degree in creative writing.

Her room was as small as the apartment, but she still tried to make it homely. She had a nice large bed, a desk with lots of writing space, and her dresser. A cat tower stood proudly in one corner, and her two beauties were sleeping peacefully. She worked to help support herself and her parents while she lived with them, but really, she was doing all this for her cats. Cassie and Baby.

"Hannah?" Her mother called from her bedroom across from hers. Hannah sighed, getting up from her desk and cringing when her body protested.

Her mother was laying under a few layers of blankets, a stand-up fan sitting right next to the bed and blowing air on high. Hannah could see her mothers face faintly in the light from the hallway, seeing her pallid skin and unkept dull brown and dyed red hair.

"Yeah, mom?" Hannah asked, her mom falling asleep briefly. Her mother's eyes opened again and then smiled.

"Hey, how was work?" she asked.

"Work was fine. Grueling, as always."

"You deserve better." Her mother closed her eyes again, getting comfortable.

"Could be worse," Hannah responded, as usual. "What did you need?"

"Could you get a glass of ice water?" Hannah sighed again in her head. She wished her mother would do at least something for herself, even if that was getting a glass of water. She pushed those thoughts aside and grabbed her still full water from the nightstand next to her head. All the ice had melted, which was never okay to drink for her mother.

"Yeah, sure," Hannah said.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I love you," her mother told her as she was walking out the door.

"I love you too mom."


So, I've scrapped the other story I was going to write in the place of this cause I actually have solid plans for it. I've got like three arcs planned out, and as of now, I have no idea how long this story is going to be. We'll see.

I hope you guys enjoy this, and if you're interested, there's a companion drabbles titled "Loki's Gift". That is placed very far in the future, so this is the beginning of Loki's life as King and how he meets Hannah.