Origin: The Gift

The Allfather is currently away at war in the distant realm of Muspelheim, the home of Fire Giants and other flaming creatures. He has been absent for quite some time now and today is w7hen he is set to return to Asgard along with the brave warriors of his army. A young Thor and Loki wait eagerly behind Heimdall near the Bifrost as their mother, Frigga, stayed behind them on the Rainbow Bridge. She tended to the horses that they had ridden to arrive here prior to preparing Sigrun, the Allfather's noble steed, to be ridden by both her and her husband upon his arrival. Seconds slowly turned into minutes as the two Asgardian children steadily grew impatient while waiting for their father's victorious return. The fact that Odin had promised to return bearing rare gifts for the each of his children added to Thor and Loki's enthusiasm to see their father.

"Mother, how much longer will we have to wait?" Questioned Thor, who has become quite irritated from waiting. His feet were beginning to ache due to their prolonged usage, "We've been standing here for ages."

Frigga briefly looked up from readjusting Sigrun's saddle, "I do not know, but it should not be for much longer, be patient my sons."

"But what if the reason why Father has not returned yet, has something horrible happened, what if he is in danger?" Loki worriedly asked his mother as he began to fear for the worse.

Frigga halted whatever it was she was doing and made her way over to Loki. She was now kneeling before the young prince, a loving hand placed gently on his shoulder. Her pale blue eyes were soon met with his vivid emerald ones, "I assure you that your Father is perfectly fine, he's just ... fashionably late. He is most likely celebrating his victory with a few drinks alongside the soldiers of his army."

Almost immediately after those words left the queen's mouth, Heimdall activated the Bifrost, promptly bringing home the Allfather as well as his loyal army from the foreign realm. The soldiers wore golden, lustrous armor that could rival the shine of even the brightest of stars. Unfortunately, a few were injured with large dents and gashes in their armor. To add insult to injury, a fairly small portion of the soldiers appeared to be unaccounted for. Which easily went unnoticed by the young minds of the royal princes. The two were more focused on the sight of Odin drunkenly praising his soldiers, who were all now joyously celebrating their return.

"Well done men! We have once again defeated our foes...This calls for a feast!"

Odin then strode towards his horse and gallantly mounted it. Which signaled Loki and Thor to do the same, as they did not wish to be left behind. But not before they caught a glance of Odin surprising his wife with a brief yet loving kiss the instant she had joined him on Sigrun's back.

"When do you think Father will give us our gifts?" Thor whispered impatiently to his younger brother.

Loki, who was equally as impatient replied in the same, hushed tone, "Just wait until we return to the palace, he will more than likely give them to us then."

The Allfather wasted no time in making his way to the palace on horseback. He traveled at a quickened pace that was just slow enough for his army to keep up as they followed their King. After crossing the Rainbow Bridge, the large group made theirs through the busy streets of Asgard. Onlookers watched in amazement as the Royal family made their way past them with numerous soldiers trailing closely behind. Many began to cheer and shout praises while others played lively music with instruments they had on hand. It was not long before, the bustling streets became home to a celebratory parade. Bottles of mead and other alcoholic beverages were hastily opened and served to any who wanted it. Meanwhile, preparations were being made for a highly anticipated feast within the walls of the golden palace. In addition to that, there would also be many smaller celebrations held behind the doors of multiple taverns all across Asgard. It served as a way of honoring the Allfather as well as the brave warriors who fought gallantly during the war.

Once the members of the royal family had reached the front steps of the palace, they dismounted their horses. Allowing the creatures to be then taken away by servants who then returned them to their stables. Soon after, healers arrived to assist the injured make their way towards the healing chamber. The remaining men were waiting patiently to hear the Allfather's final words before they departed to go their separate ways.

Odin stood proudly above the remnants of his army, taking in the many absences he now noticed into mind, "You all fought well in Muspelheim, for that, I am most grateful. No one could be prouder than I, to refer to you all as warriors of Asgard and I wish to see you all soon for a well-deserved feast. Be sure to bring members of your families as well as companions, all are welcomed." And with a wave of his hand, they were all dismissed.

Odin then turned his back to be surprised by his wife embracing him in a hug, they stayed there for short while, hesitant to pull apart. Followed by Frigga passionately returning the kiss they had shared earlier.

"I have missed you so much! Do you know how worried I was, Muspelheim is a dangerous realm!"

He smiled. "It will take much more than a bit of heat to end my life." Odin rested his forehead affectionately against Frigga's.

Upon seeing such a warm-hearted scene between their loving parents play out before them, Loki playfully pretended to gag. Due to Thor laughing at his younger brother's antics, they gained their father's attention. "You may laugh now children, but when the day comes that either of you finds a wife of your own, you will come to understand what love truly is."

A faint dusting of pink could be seen on appearing Frigga's cheeks. "Oh! How flattering, you do know how to capture a woman's, heart."

"When I grow up, Father, I am going to marry the most beautiful woman in all of the Nine Realms!" Proclaimed Thor, a determined look formed on his face.

"Are you sure? Did you not mean to say the ugliest woman in the Nine Realms." Loki joked, laughing at his own words. Thor was quick to share his brother in a headlock as he turned Loki's jet black hair into a disheveled mess, "H-Hey! Stop it, Thor!"

"NEVER! Not until you take back what you said."

"Mother!"

"Boys!" Frigga's irritated shout ended their exchange in brotherly banter. Allowing Loki to free himself from Thor's grasp and restyle his hair.

Odin let out a soft chuckle, "There was no need to stop them, they were just having a bit of fun." He defended.

Frigga sighed. "If you call tormenting each other fun."

He flashed his beloved an amusing grin, "That is how they express their affection for one another as brothers."

"Why must you always defend them so?" She questioned while playfully rolling her eyes.

"Why must you always cause my heart to skip a beat?" He winked before returning his attention to his sons, "Now, I know that you two have been waiting to see your gifts, yes?"

"ABSOLUTELY!" Exclaimed the two princes as Odin knelt down before them.

The Allfather had produced a hammer of sorts from a sizeable bag that hung close to his side. The strange weapon had an enormous silver head along with intricate designs etched in multiple different places. Its handle was covered in a fine, durable material with a leather grip at the end.

"This is an ancient relic that goes by the name of Mjolnir. It was thought to be lost to the Nine Realms during a period of endless war. I discovered the relic deep beneath the brilliant flames of Muspelheim while engaging the enemy in battle. Fortunately for us, Mjolnir may only be wielded by myself, the Allfather, as well as those who prove worthy of its power as a way to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil. I believe that once you are older, you will be able to wield this weapon. But for now, I hope this helmet will suffice, it is a replica of the ones Valkyries wear when they are guiding the souls of slain warriors towards Valhalla."

Odin then gently placed the silver winged helmet on top of Thor's head, showing it to be too big to properly fit his head. A look of wonder was apparent in his eldest son's eyes, granting the king a joyous sense of fulfillment.

"Wow! This is amazing Father, thank you!"

Next, was Loki's turn to receive a gift, he found it difficult to contain his childish excitement. His father then adjusted his position so that he was now kneeling in front of him, pulling out a brown pouch in the process. From said pouch, he produced a small, oval-shaped object that was mainly green in color. When the raven-haired prince took a closer look, he noticed that it was covered in a vast assortment of vibrant gems. If you had to compare it, the miscellaneous object was about the size of Loki's head.

"This here Loki is a Dragon's egg. It is much smaller than most since it was not conceived by pure blood, it is the rare product of both a fearsome dragon and a shape-shifter. When it hatches you will have yourself a loyal companion that will prioritize your life over its own."

With that said, Odin handed his youngest son the egg. It was warm to the touch like it had been sitting in the sun for quite some time. Loki was ecstatic, never before had he dreamed of obtaining such a creature. It was truly an amazing gift on Odin's part.

The boy tackled his father in a hug that nearly landed them on the ground. "Thank you so much, Father!"

A concerned look washed over Frigga's face. "A dragon will require much care Loki, are you sure that you are ready to take on such a responsibility?"

"Of course I am Mother, but I would have to go to the library in order to do some research first,"

"That's my boy. Now go on ahead and go, I will meet you there as soon as I can to assist you."

The Queen was impressed to see Thor and Loki take off and go their separate ways as soon as the last word of her sentence left her mouth.

In the Library, Loki sat at a large round table with the egg placed securely in his lap to help keep it warm. A stack of various books relating to dragons was located beside him.

"Fire dragon? No. Water dragon? No. Nature Dragon? No!" Said Loki as he searched through a book that held information that would aid in identifying what elemental species of the dragon that the egg had previously belonged to. "Ugh! I have been at this for eons, just what type of egg is this!" Loki complained while ruffling his hair out of frustration.

"You are searching for a dragon of a single element. Why not try looking for one that belongs to them all?"

The disembodied force had startled Loki, he calmed himself when he turned to find only his mother. He then heeded her advice as he began to search further into the book, nearly reaching the end. His emerald eyes lit up as they laid upon a page that held an image that resembled his own dragon egg. As it turns out, it is an Idiosyncratic Dragon's egg and will grow to become quite powerful when it matures.

"I found it! Thank you, Mother!" Loki exclaimed out of excitement.

"You are welcome Loki. Have you found anything else of importance while researching?"

"Yes, I found a substitution recipe for a milk we could use after the egg hatches."

"Very good, be sure to give it to the Head Chef before you attend the feast later tonight."

Suddenly, a cracking sound could be heard throughout the room, Loki and Frigga discovered the source of the noise to be none other than the egg itself. Before any of them could react, the head of a tiny green creature emerged from the crown of the egg. Inspecting it, Loki saw that his newborn dragon had red eyes with black, slitted irises and deep green scales. His favorite color.

"I-It hatched!" He shouted in astonishment, unsure of what to do in this sort of situation. The boy did what any other child would look to his mother for guidance.

"I see, what are you going to name her?"

"Her? You mean it's a girl, how do you know?" He questioned while staring down at the baby creature in his lap. The rest of the shell that had surrounded it was now broken and scattered across his brown trousers.

Forming on Frigga's face was a soft smile as she made eye contact with her son, "I have lived a long life Loki, how could I not?"

He pondered for a moment, unclear of what to say. His green eyes scanned the room until he saw it, an Asgardian lily. Shortly after Loki thought of a befitting name for his new companion, "...Lilith, I shall call my dragon Lilith."

A few years after Lilith had initially hatched from her egg, she unearthed her shape-shifting abilities, taking on the form of an Asgardian female. Due to her fondness of Loki, she has many of the same characteristics, such as green eyes (which are different shades), black hair, and pale skin. She quickly adapted to her new appearance and began to study anything she could with Loki's assistance. Everything seemed to bring a look of wonder to her eyes much like that of a young child (granted she was one). Her eagerness to learn the answers to whatever question that could possibly be asked, eventually lead Lilith to study magic under Frigga's guidance alongside Loki. She excelled with the ability but her skills in magic proved to be no match for Loki who seemed to be equal to, if not greater than a prodigy. Once Odin had received word of this, he officially assigned the position of Loki's guardian to her in hopes that she would protect his youngest son. Promoting the young hybrid to create a contract with the boy, transforming her into a familiar.

A/N: Sooooooooo, what do you guys think? It's my first fanfiction so I apologize for anything that confused you and grammatical errors that I missed while editing.

Thank you for reading