He is only a mere few centuries old when his parents die. Assassins, the people whisper. The Jotuns, the court accuses. But a King need not listen to those beneath him.
Thor is only a few centuries old when all of Asgard kneels before him, proclaiming him their king. He stands above all, with the exception of Loki, who is right beside him, clinging to his shirt. Loki is allowed to weep at their parents' funeral; Thor must stand strong as Odin and Frigga join their ancestors in Valhalla. His friends say nothing to him. They only stare at him as he accepts his father's spear and sits upon his father's throne. He thinks he can hear murmurs in the crowd, saying that Asgard is doomed with a child as their leader. He ignores it all.
The shift in power was as much of a shock to him as it was to everyone else. Thor had still been asleep, dreaming of grand adventures for him to go on and mighty beasts for him to slay. But those dreams were slowly crushed as a guard woke him up and explained what happened. The King and Queen were dead. There was only the two princes left for the House of Odin. And so Thor got up slowly, and said, "Take me to my brother."
Loki had already been told when Thor reached him. He'd leaped into his brother's arms, fat tears streaming down his face. "Why, Thor? Why did Mama and Papa have to die?" Thor merely stroked his hair, and rocked him silently. He had no words. He was Thor Odinson, the Thunderer, yet he was as quiet as a drop of rain.
No harm will ever come to you, Brother, he told himself. I will destroy anyone who dares to harm you like they harmed our parents.
Despite Thor barely being past a child, the court crowns him as soon as they could. He has no time to grieve; no time to process the shock he'd been in ever since he'd received the news. He says nothing, but the fear quickly takes him over. How will he do this? He hasn't started the training necessary to rule. His father thought he and Loki should have the opportunity to enjoy their childhoods. Besides, the old king had said, it would be a millenia until Thor would have to take the throne.
Kingship is the most difficult task Thor has faced in his life. Instead of weapons training, he had to give speeches to a judgemental court. Instead of playing games in the garden, he must find ways to fix every problem his kingdom has. From food to crime, it is all forced on Thor's shoulders with no protest. He feels as if he is drowning, the waters filling his lungs and forcing him to the bottom of the sea.
He tries to find refuge in his brother. He has dinner with Loki every night, even if there had just been a feast. Thor cannot get rid of this family tradition. Not when it is the only thing keeping him sane. But Loki is not the same as he once was. He is more skittish, and his pranks have entirely disappeared. His witty barbs are more subdued, and Thor can see the nervousness in his eyes.
"What did you do today, Brother?" He asks. "Did you work on your magic?"
"Yes, Brother. Sif invited me to join her in weapons training too."
That was surprising. Sif did not hate Loki, but she wasn't very kind to him either. Thor was the first friend she had made when she joined their weapons training group, defying all expectations for girls in their realm. When Loki was allowed to join them, she was wary of the younger prince, and she showed it whenever his brother tried to join them in anything else.
"Is that so?" He says, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Yeah!" Loki jumps a little in his seat, a genuine smile on his face. "Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun said I could join too. They said-they miss you, Thor. We all do."
He sighs. He wishes he could go back to the way things were. Thor, with his brother and his friends, going on thrilling quests to save Asgard. His parents would smile proudly when they returned, his father would nod in approval when the tale of their journey was recounted in front of the entire court. That was supposed to be his future. Now, his time is occupied with treaties and petitions, with planning and bargaining for his kingdom's future.
"I am always here, Loki. There is no need for you to miss me. And tell our friends that they can see me at any time." It's a lie. Thor had never been good at lying, but he has learning much ever since he ascended to the throne.
The next few decades go by without much fanfare. Thor still struggles, but he has grown much better at concealing it. He relies on the words of his advisors, and the history books in his room. He is not an avid reader like his brother, but he knows he needs the advice of past kings, even if it has to be through books. He imagines his father saying the words in the book, telling him another tale of his past exploits. Thor wishes he was like Loki-if he was, he could weave illusions of everything he's lost, so convincing he could believe it was real.
Loki has also changed much over the past years. He is the current Crown Prince, for Thor is still too young to be wed. He hasn't even thought of it, to be honest. The idea of marrying someone is difficult to comprehend. He barely has time for his brother, how would make time for his wife? His brother has become a more public figure and he uses his so-called Silvertongue to woo all those who visit Asgard. Thor beams with pride everytime a foreign dignitary compliments his brother for his diplomatic skills.
He still practices magic, of course, and he still does have a preference for solitude. But his mischief nowadays is more amusing than harmful. He is less attached to Thor than he was when they were children. Sometimes, when their dinners go on for several hours into the night, Loki will make some excuse to leave. It takes everything in Thor's power not to slam his fists on the table and demand he stay with him.
He does not see his friends anymore-in fact, there are days he wonders if he can still call them his friends. The King has no time to be with the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, as they are now called. They spend their time with Loki, now. Apparently they had grown close to his brother, after their parents had died. After all, the King cannot spend time with his friends. He belongs to Asgard, not a single one of its citizens.
Loki is the one exception to that rule. If his brother wants something, he will do anything in his power to grant it. His promise still rings in his ears. He will protect Loki, for he has no one else. Thor has no idea who he would have become be if his brother died that night as well. Certainly not anything good.
One day, he comes close to losing him. It had started as only a few coughs, but grew into something much worse. Loki is bedridden, his face damp with sweat, and he struggles to even breathe. Thor is mystified. What could've caused this illness? It is not like anything he had seen on Asgard before.
Eir, the head Healer, soon gives him answer. His brother is Jotun, one of the beings Odin fought against in the many wars their realm had faced. He is a Frost Giant, a monster Thor had vowed to slay.
"Your father took him after the war," Eir says. "He wanted to keep it a secret. I do not know why, Your Majesty."
Thor is stunned. He has no idea why his father took Loki in-was it for some political plot, or was it the act of a man who saw a child in need? He wants to know why Odin never told them. Why the man let Thor say he would kill every last Frost Giant. Thor desires to go straight to the gates of Valhalla and shake the old man. If he'd known what Loki was, he could've prevented this.
He sends a message to Jotunheim a few minutes after Eir leaves. If they can heal Loki, he will give them the Casket back. Odin would be furious with him. Thor does not care.
Jotunheim responds almost immediately, sending a legion of its best healers. They are all small, like Loki, and their red eyes look at him with both hesitation and anticipation. Their leader steps forward to greet him.
"My name is Angrboda, your Highness." She bows down to him. "We know we have been called to heal your brother, but we do not know what is wrong with him."
He escorts Angrboda and the rest of the healers inside. "My brother is Jotun, like you." The healers gasp in shock. "My father found him abandoned at the end of the war, and decided to adopt him. He has fallen ill with a Jotun illness we do not know how to heal."
Angrboda nods, then signals to the other healers to follow her. "We will do the best we can, King Thor."
Thor gestures to Loki. "Please," he begs. "Please save him."
The healers go about working with Eir to save Loki. Thor stays the entire time, watching as they cast spells on the prince. Loki shifts into his Jotun form under the influence of the magic. His skin turns blue, his eyes red, and various markings emerge on his body. The king can only stare as the boy he grew up with transforms into something unrecongizable. But it is still Loki, he reminds himself. This is his brother. Not just any Frost Giant.
Eventually, his brother seems to heal. His body temperature stabilizes, and he can breathe more freely. Angrboda sighs with exhaustion, then says, "Prince Loki will recover, King Thor. This is a common illness on Jotunheim, and it is easily cured, if given proper treatment."
Thor almost collapses with relief. The past few weeks were so stressful, and having the weight of his brother's potential death lifted off his shoulders makes him sink to the floor. "Thank you," he says, "I will repay you. The Casket will be sent to Jotunheim by the end of the week."
"Thank you, King Thor." Angrboda responds. "But I must inform you-the markings on the prince's skin-those are the markings of King Laufey's bloodline."
"He's Laufey's son?"
"Yes, he is." Angrboda says.
Thor grabs the Jotun woman by the shoulders. "Do not tell him, Angrboda. Please, my brother is the only family I have left."
Angrboda's eyes are wide as he tells her his demand. He is behaving as no King should, but he cannot find it in himself to care. "I beg of you."
The other healers say nothing as she slowly backs away from him. "I-I will, King Thor. Laufey led us to losing the Casket in the first place. You have given it back. For that, we will always be in your debt."
His shoulders sag. "Thank you," he whispers, "I will be in your debt as well."
He signals to the guards outside the healers' room. "Escort them to the Bifrost," he orders. "And prepare for the Casket to be given back to Jotunheim."
It is another day until Loki awakes. "Thor," he mumbles, "what happened? There were-"
"Jotuns." Thor finishes. "Loki, there is something I must tell you."
His brother does not take to the truth well. There is screaming, and Loki flings more insults than Thor thought possible.
"So that's why," he mutters, "Father always loved you more. They all did."
"He loved us both, brother. I do not know why he took you, but I know why he kept you."
Loki snorts. "He kept me as a tool. A stolen relic, nothing more. Do not pretend otherwise."
Thor shakes his head. "No, Loki."
His brother looks at him with despair. "Thor-"
"No, Loki." He repeats. "You are not a stolen relic. You are Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard, and my brother. You are witty and clever and brave. If it weren't for you, Brother, I would've descended into madness a long time ago. You are not a monster, none of the Jotuns are."
Loki scoffs. He turns his head away, staring at the wall in a desperate attempt to avoid his brother.
Thor pays no heed. "Loki, I am sorry for all the lies you've been told your whole life. I knew earlier, I would've told you."
Loki looks into his eyes, and says, "Do you think they saw me as our son? Our parents-did they love me?"
The king takes his brother's hand, and gives it a tight squeeze. "Mother and Father adored you, Loki. They adored us both. And they adored us equally."
He takes in a deep breath. "Loki-no matter what you do-I want you to know that we will always be family, and you will always be my brother."
Thor pulls his brother into a hug, and Loki does not resist.
No matter what, Brother, I will protect you.
And that was a promise he swears to keep until the end of his days.
AN: So I had the sudden urge to write this fic. Just to let you guys know, when Odin and Frigga were killed, Thor was the Asgardian equivalent of 13, while Loki was about ten. I had a hard time writing this, so if any better writers want to use this idea that's totally fine. Please let me know if Thor and Loki were in character in this fic, or if there was any other problems. I can't improve my writing if I don't get feedback. Thank you!