Summary: What if Laufey had kept baby Loki? A little one-shot of Laufey meeting his newborn son. This is set in the beginning of the first Thor movie.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did Laufey and Odin would be much better parents…

Enjoy!

~oOo~

When the prince of Jotunheim is born, the realm is at war. As Queen Farbauti goes into labor, King Laufey is on the battlefield. As his son enters into the world, Laufey gouges out the eye of the Aesir king, Odin.

After the fighting has died down and both sides are allowed to collect their dead and injured, Laufey leads his men back to the castle, battle weary, aching, and covered in blood, from their enemies as well as their brothers in arms. They lost too many men today and more men would be lost the next time. Immediately, a group of servants and healers swarm around him but he brushes them off, insisting that they attend to those with more serious injuries.

He allows one healer to clean him up and tend to his wounds. As the healer is finishing up the stitches in his left arm, a winded servant girl comes running up to him, giving a low hasty bow, and breathlessly informing him that his wife had given birth early to a son. Laufey makes his way to way to the Queen's chambers as quickly as possible while trying to appear dignified. His brow creased in a slight frown. His mate was not due to give birth until three months later… Despite his worry, a knot of excitement builds in his stomach and a slightly giddy smile stretches across his scarred face. He slowly opens the door to the Queen's chambers, trying to enter quietly. Queen Farbauti is perched on the large four-poster bed, leaning against a mound of pillows. Her long dark hair clings to her forehead and shoulders with sweat. As Laufey approaches she raises a slender blue finger to her lips to shush him.

"Shhh. He is sleeping," she whispers. But, the child stirs at her words. The King is close enough to see the small bundle of blankets held against her naked chest. Small. That is what Laufey notices. Too small…

Farbauti coos at the child in her arms, but the baby seems to insist on making a fuss, wriggling and crying. She strokes the tiny thing with her finger and the boy begins to calm.

"Shhh… Hush child. Mother's here. Shhh… Meet your father little prince," she says softly and tilts the baby towards Laufey. "I have named him Loki. He's just an infant and already he is causing trouble."

The King looks down at the baby cuddled in his mate's arms. A runt. He is less than three times the size that he should be - almost the size of a normal Aesir child. The child is so small; surely he would be weak, sickly, he would not even survive his first winter much less the fighting that has consumed their realm. This child was to be the first-born prince of Jotunheimr, the heir to the throne? The other eight realms would laugh at them! He is a disgrace, an embarrassment on the royal house of Laufey! What are they to do with a runt for a prince? They should leave him to die in the temple, sacrifice him to the winter goddess. It would be kinder than having him lost to cold and war.

Laufey opens his mouth to express these thoughts to his wife but she hands the child over to him, and the words die on his lips. He frowns down at the tiny thing. The baby's blue skin is a few shades too light – just like all Jotnar newborns - but it would darken in time. The faint bloodlines on his face are almost identical to Laufey's. There is a tuft of wispy black hair - just like Farbauti's - atop his tiny head. The infant has ample space resting in the palm of Laufey's hand and the Jotun king wants to be disgusted at his small size but… the baby peers up at him with curious red eyes and the frost giant is finding it hard to be repulsed by such innocence. He feels his expression soften.

"Laufey?" Farbauti's voice breaks him out of his reverie. Her voice is tentative but he can see the warning the worry in her eyes. Do you like him? You had better like him or so help me… the queen's gaze says and he almost smiles at the strength and protectiveness she shows even when weak after giving birth. He looks back down at the tiny Jotun in his palm and finds that his son has fallen asleep. This time, he does smile.

"Do you see the bloodlines on his chest?" his mate asks. Laufey pulls the blanket back a little to view his son's upper body and his eyes widen slightly at what he sees. The swirling patterns on his arms resemble Farbauti's, but Laufey has never seen (he's only heard stories of such birthmarks) any bloodlines like the ones adorning his son's chest.

"He is special. The siedr is strong in him," Farbauti says and Laufey can hear the hint of smug pride in her voice. "He will be a very powerful sorcerer, even more powerful than I".

Laufey looks at the soft smile on his wife's face, the love and pride shining in her eyes for their son and for him. He looks down and the tiny Jotun in his hand and feels his smile widen into a grin. He can't believe that just moments ago, he was contemplating leaving his son for dead. Laufey settles on the bed next to Farbauti and she leans against him as they both peer down at the child softly cradled in his calloused hand, sleeping soundly.

The king hums, "Yes, little Loki. You are special."

THE END

~oOo~

I haven't written anything in such a long time! I watched Thor last night and I thought, what if…? And thus, this story was born! I tried to keep Laufey in character from the impression I got of him in the movie. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :)