Loki's excited chatter reached Frigga's ears as her younger sons neared the dining room. "And then, we fell down in the mud. Do you remember, Thor? It was all cold and squishy and—"
"I remember." Thor's anger was evident by his interjection to Loki's run-on tongue.
"Aunt Fulla was so angry but she tried not to laugh but she did and she couldn't stop for the longest time and then she dragged us inside and threw us into the tub and the water splashed everywhere—"
Loki paused for a breath finally, and Thor growled at his little brother once more. "I was there, you idiot. Of course, I remember." Thor's voice cracked a bit on the last part.
Loki began to giggle. No matter how mean Thor was to him, Loki never got upset with his older brother.
Frigga reached out for Thor as the boys stepped over the threshold to the dining room. She eased his long, blonde hair off of his neck to ensure that he truly was clean, then held her hands out, palms up, for him to place his in so she could check those, too. Surprisingly, the boy appeared to be clean. She glanced up in time to see him rolling his eyes; a snort burst from Loki. Despite Thor's cleanliness, his disrespect had to be addressed. "Go and wash again. You missed the back of your neck."
"You couldn't possibly have seen—"
"You dare to question your mother? Your queen? Go and wash. And don't come back until you are clean."
Loki sniggered and Frigga arched a brow at him. "Loki, help your brother. It is difficult to see the back of one's own neck, so you are responsible should he come back dirty."
Loki dropped his head a moment, then turned and ran after Thor, chattering excitedly. "And then Momma said, 'Go and wash again …'"
Frigga could almost hear Thor groan as the two boys walked back up the hallway toward the stairs that led to their quarters. A small, satisfied smile played upon her lips as she turned back to the dining room.