My Brother's New Son
It was later than Thor expected when he came back from his ride. After cool down and brushing he led his horse to his stall.
. The stalls were dimly lit, the horses were settling in for the night. Thor gave his horse a last treat. He heard a soft nicker several stalls down .It was Sleipnir.
Thor smiled and went to him. "Greetings, Sleipnir" The magical horse sniffed his hands hopefully. "Sorry, boy." Sleipnir snorted and stomped two of his front feet.
Odin gave a strict command. No coddling and no treats .Sleipnir was in training as a warhorse and was not a pet. Frigga and Loki ignored his command at will. Even Odin broke his own rule. After dinner, he would walk by the dessert table, picking out a treat for Sleipnir before he turned in for the night.
The door latch to his stall gleamed softly in the dim light. Magic. The young horse was an escape artist and had quickly figured out how to free himself. He explored and caused mischief in the kitchens several times before Odin found a spell strong enough to hold him. The guards named him Sleipnir, "slippery" and the name stuck.
Sleipnir had been sleeping. Bits of hay were caught in his mane. Thor plucked the hay out of Sleipnir's mane .As he turned to go Sleipnir snorted for him to stay with him. Thor grinned. "You are so spoiled. Some people have not had dinner yet."
Thor stroked the horse's soft nose, lost in thought for several minutes.
Sleipnir was still little when Loki brought him to Asgard. Loki was blamed for the wall disaster. He turned into a black mare in heat to lure Svaðilfari from his duties of wall building. The stallion showed up a few days later, alone.
Thor was in the northern lands for several months and returned. He was furious that Loki was blamed and ordered by Odin to solve the problem. When he confronted his father, Odin replied he told Loki to come up with a solution, knowing Loki was a talented magic user. Odin said he honestly did not expect Loki to try a stunt so bizarre. Now he was as puzzled as everyone else.
But the deed was done successfully. The warriors joked and speculated with rude comments on what had to have happened. They waited for Loki to come back with glee and anticipation. For everyone expected Loki back in a few days .He could not stay away for long. He would come strolling in with that smirk he wore when he pulled off an unusually good stunt or prank.
But Loki did not come back. The jokes stopped replaced by uneasiness. Did something happen?
Thor led numerous searches further out each time but no one had any leads on where Loki could be. Did Loki run into trouble? Did the stallion injure or kill him? Was he hurt and unable to come back? Thor was sick with worry. Thor should have stayed home. He would have made sure the situation with the wall got resolved some other way.
Frigga stopped smiling and was often on the ramparts of the castle gazing off as if willing her youngest son home. Sometimes her gaze would meet Thor's and the worry was in both sets of eyes. Out there in the darkness of the woods, something had gone terribly wrong.
Odin said nothing but sent his ravens out to search for Loki. Night after night he would stand on the Bifrost with Heimdall, searching for his second son.
Finally, when Thor was in Alfheim he got the message he waited for months to hear. Loki had returned and he was uninjured and safe.
Thor rushed home .It was late at night. The guards tried to talk to him, but he had no time to chat. "Tell me later." He ran into Loki's room, empty. His bedroom and Frigga's room, also empty. Was he in the kitchen .Maybe he was hungry .Even though it was late, there was always some food set out.
Puzzled, he left to Dining Hall .In a Meeting room; he found Volstagg and Fandral sharing a wine bottle.
"Greetings, Thor, you came back."
"Greetings, I am looking for Loki. Has he come back?"
"Yep, he is in the Royal Stables." Both men burst into laughter.
As Thor turned to go, Fandral said, "Stop now, Thor. The queen is with him and the stables are off limits for the night."
Thor turned to them. "Why? Is something wrong? Is he hurt? Why isn't he with the healers?"
Fandral replied, "No, Loki is fine. He has a foal with him. A foal only a couple of months old." He gave Thor a long look.
Volstagg said. "But he is such a cute little fellow. Really, he is just adorable." He chuckled as he took another swig from the wine bottle.
Thor frowned, "So he bought a young colt."
Volstagg took a deep breath. "Loki turned into a mare in heat. There was a stallion nearby. Then Loki was missing for over a year. Now he came back with a foal. Thor, do you need me to draw a picture?"
The implications finally dawned on Thor. "That is impossible."
Volstagg shrugged. "Well your brother constantly outdoes himself. Every thing he does is unexpected."
The Royal family moved quickly to protect their newest addition. Odin claimed the foal as his future warhorse. That ended public ridicule and jokes, for to insult the King's chosen steed was to insult the King
Frigga said in a firm vice that it was lucky for the foal that Loki found him while he was travelling. The court quickly realized that this not a joking matter and they best agree with the Queen if they wanted to stay at court.
Thor was quick to battle and thrash on the training grounds warriors for did not show the proper respect for the eight-legged foal.
But once the warriors realized commenting on Sleipnir was a lovely way to bait Loki they did not want to stop. Loki could handle himself under usual taunts. With his aloof expressions, his magical abilities and his sharp tongue, he could give as well as he got.
Except when the taunts centered on his little equine son. Loki was the trickster for too long for the warriors to let it go. Especially at dinner when the rich mead loosened their tongues.
Thor walked down the hallway to the Dining Hall. He was hungry; it was later at night than he thought. He heard a burst of laughter and frowned. This laughter was not the boisterous good natured laughter, this had an edge to it he did not like.
As a pretty red-haired serving girl ducked out he gently caught her arm. "Is everything all right? Are they putting their hands on you girls?"
She shook her head and smiled. "No my Prince, we are fine." But she glanced away and then he knew.
"Is my brother in there?"
"No, my Prince, he left a short time ago."
"Let me have that. and show me who was taunting my brother."Thor had decided on a more direct approach.
Thor walked in. He located Crixus and Barca, two new warriors from another realm. Not the most refined of men. When drunk they would run about naked and piss in the fountains or bathing pools.
The party was ending. He did not have much time. The guards were pulling the girls, taking them to a safe room with cots so they could sleep safely rather that trying to leave for their homes. Male servants came out serving cider or fruit juice.
Thor stepped behind Barca and took out the serving tray he had been carrying behind his back .He brought it down on Barca's head and shoulders. The tray broke in half and Barca fell to the floor.
"Get him to a healer." Thor said into the stunned silence.
He held up half of the broken tray. "This is for whoever insults my brother again."
He held over his head the second half of the tray. "This is for anyone insulting my nephew."