Here we go!

I imagine them to be about the same age as in chapter one.

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"And then Thor," Loki was giggling and trying his hardest not to so he could get out his story in one breath, "fell in!"

"Did he?" Odin's eye glittered with amusement.

Thor frowned, "Did not," he growled, "You pushed me!"

"No I didn't!" Loki giggled.

"Boys," Frigga prompted calmly, "finish your supper."

"But Mother," Thor exclaimed, "I did not fall! He pushed me!"

"Did not," Loki put out his tongue, "clumsy oaf."

"Loki," Odin cautioned.

"Well, he is." Loki said, "It's not my fault he fell. I just thought it was funny."

"It's not funny!" Thor shouted.

Frigga didn't bother looking up, "Thor,"

"It is funny," Odin said and Thor's head shot up.

"But he pushed me! Volstagg saw it!"

Loki's eyes flashed, "I was trying to catch you, moron! Can't you tell the difference?"

"Loki," Frigga's said, "That's enough."

Odin was looking very levelly at their elder son, "Did you feel Loki push you?"

"Odin!"

Odin glanced at his wife, "It's a fair question," he said, then turned back on his son, "Well?"

"Well…" Thor shifted uneasily, "I don't really remember that part..." then, "OW! Father! He kicked me!"

"Felt that!" Loki sneered, "Didn't you?"

"LOKI!" and Thor lunged across the table, scattering plates and cutlery.

Thor's chair clattered backwards and Loki's head popped out from under the table beside it. Meanwhile Thor had thrown himself at Loki's chair and, toppling it, was a mess of limbs on the floor.

"Get back here you little twit!"

Laughing, Loki'd already fled.

With a roar Thor was after him.

"Boys!" Odin stood up, "Get back here!"

A shout from down the hall and something distant clattered.

Odin sank back to his seat.

Frigga lifted her forehead from her hands and delicately picked up her fork.

"Well," Odin straightened, "I'd say that went rather well."

Frigga began to laugh, "All I wanted was for the four of us to sit down and have a meal together,"

Odin put a comforting hand atop his wife's on the table. "They're only boys yet, Frigga," he told her, "They'll come around in time."

She locked eyes with him gratefully, before slipping her hand out from beneath his and looking back to her meal.

"To be honest with you," he took up his fork, "I'm quite encouraged."

"Oh?"

"Loki shows tactical skill."

"Odin!" in spite of herself, Frigga began to laugh.

He spread his hands, "He knew his brother's next move and countered it before it came. That's more than I can say of Thor."

Behind her hand, Frigga was laughing.

Far down the corridors, some other thing crashed.

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"You upset you mother –"

"But Father, Loki –"

Odin turned on him, "Silence Boy!"

Thor fell back a pace, toward the bed, eyes wide and scared.

Odin gathered back his temper. Of the things he'd inherited from his father, it was not the one of which he was the most proud.

"Loki," he took a long breath, "is concern of mine at this time, and none of yours. It was a foolish quarrel, and the table is no place for such."

Thor scowled, "I thought you said we were never to allow anyone to insult our honor."

"Oh?" Odin folded his arms, "And how had Loki insulted your honor?"

"He kicked me!"

"And why did he do that?"

"Because he's a little cheat," Thor muttered, "and he didn't think you'd see him."

"I think he thought his honor in question. You did accuse him of pushing you."

"He did!"

"Thor, is that the truth?"

"Volstagg said –"

"Your cousin was not the one who was pushed and while the fact that he is older might carry weight among your other friends it does not do so with me."

Thor sulked. "I don't know," he said.

"Your mother and I expect more of you, Thor. You are our eldest son,"

"But what about Lo–"

"I will deal with Loki when I am through with you!"

The boy's head bowed and his shoulders drew up. His voice was very small. "Yes, Father."

Softening, Odin tipped his chin back. For the sake of his boyish pride he ignored the tears that wanted to drop.

"You are a strong boy," Odin said, "And a brave one. You have much to offer, and that is why I expect much from you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father," he snuffled. He turned his head away.

"All right. Get ready for bed now. If you are capable of leaving the quarrel lie by morning, you are free then to leave your room and go about your business. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Father."

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"Loki."

The boy whirled and very nearly tripped over his own feet. The pen he'd been holding clattered to the ground and he ignored it, fumbling his hands behind his back and standing very straight.

He was afraid. Where Thor had been angry – had turned at him snarling when he entered his room – Loki was frightened.

Odin was never sure how to reprimand the younger boy. Thor was easier.

He stopped just beyond the door, mirroring the boy's posture with his hands clasped behind him, "You deliberately baited your brother." He said.

The boy shifted on his feet. "Yes, Father."

"Why?"

"He said," Loki looked at the ground. "He said that I pushed him."

"Well," Odin waited and finally Loki looked up, "Did you?"

His voice was very small, "No."

"Then what was there to take offense at? If you are in the right, Loki, then there is nothing to defend."

"But Thor's always accusing me of things I didn't do!" his hands flew up, "I hate it! He's always getting me in trouble and half the time I didn't even do anything!"

"Half the time," Odin said, "You did. Didn't you?"

Furtively, Loki smeared a hand at his eyes, "Yes," he admitted. "But he always thinks it was me," he said, "He n-never listens,"

"Be that as it may, you ought not bait him."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Loki snapped. Then his face paled and he gulped, "I- I didn't mean – I'm sorry, Father, I –" his face crumpled.

Odin put a hand on his dark head, "Loki,"

After a long minute, the boy turned his face up. One side of his lip was caught in his teeth and tears trembled at the edges of his long lashes.

"Loki," he said again, softer, pressing his thumb along the boy's forehead and into his hair, "Do you think you're in trouble now because of what Thor said?"

The boy shrugged.

"Loki,"

"I don't know," he said wretchedly.

"You are not."

Loki blinked furiously at the tears.

"You are in trouble because you started a fight with him."

"But Father," his vice rasped in his throat, "He said –"

"I know what he said."

"Then what am I to do?" he asked, "I can't just let him –"

"No," Odin agreed, "you can't. But there are better ways to prove your innocence, Loki. Your mother and I were already convinced."

Loki blinked startledly at him, "You were?"

"Yes." Odin nodded. "But your mother was very unhappy at the way it all turned out."

Loki dropped his head, "I know," his voice wavered. He took a breath that shook, "I'm sorry," he whispered, "everything I do breaks. When you asked," he gulped back a sob, "I just wanted to tell you what happened,"

"Shh," awkwardly, Odin patted him on his head, "That is not the truth," he said. "You don't break everything," he thought about it a moment, and gave a slight shrug, "just a few unhappily-placed vases."

Loki gave a shaky jerk of a laugh.

Odin ruffled his dark hair, "You only have to learn how better to use your tongue."

"Yes, Father," he managed.

"Get ready for bed, then." Odin said, "And perhaps tomorrow we can try again."

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The door to Thor's room creaked open.

The blond boy whirled on the bed, afraid it was his nurse and he'd be in trouble for being up past his bedtime.

It wasn't.

It was only Loki.

Thor scowled at him and dropped back down onto his backside on the mattress. "What do you want?"

Closing the door behind him, the younger boy shrugged, "My own horse." He grinned. "What do you want?"

Annoyance forgotten, Thor grinned back, "A sword!" he bounced onto his knees. "To do battle with the enemies of Asgard!"

"You're not going to get very far." Loki pointed out.

"Heimdal will open the Bifrost to me and I will go as far as I want!"

"You'll walk all the way to the Bifrost?" Loki scrambled up next to him on the bed.

Thor frowned. He hadn't thought of that. Then he shrugged. "Well," he said, "Either way, I'll be the most feared warrior of all! What of you," he nudged Loki's ribs, "and your horse?"

"I don't know," Loki shrugged, moving farther back from Thor's advances. "We'll go places."

"You'll just go places? Where's the honor in that?

"Well, maybe I'll learn something." Loki said. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Didn't Father tell you to stay in your room?"

Loki grinned, "No. He told me to go to bed."

"He didn't mean my bed."

"He didn't specify."

Thor bounced up and down, "What if I don't want you here?"

Loki's grin flashed, "What if I want to stay?"

Then Thor was standing and he was jumping up and down, "I'm bigger than you, so I get my way!"

"But I can jump higher!" Loki scrambled up.

"Bet you can't!" Thor laughed.

But his foot got tangled as he jumped and when Loki tried to dodge him, the younger boy slipped on the edge of the bed and fell backward where he landed with a crash. Abruptly, he stopped laughing.

"Loki!" Genuinely frightened, Thor pushed his face up out of the covers and lurched over the side of the bed. "Loki!"

He was pushing himself up, grimacing with a hand on the back of his head.

A weird kind of smile tugged at the side of his mouth. "You pushed me," he said.

"I did not!" Thor shot back, "I fell down and you know it!"

"Then we're even."

Thor remembered the argument at dinner and he understood the smile.

For a long moment they only looked at each other. Loki wasn't smiling anymore. His eyes were hard and bright.

Then, without saying anything, Thor stuck his hand out and, without saying anything either, Loki took it. Thor pulled him back up onto the bed.

"What kind of dragons will we hunt for?" Thor asked.

"But," Loki faltered, "Asgard doesn't have dragons anymore,"

Thor rolled his eyes, "In Vanaheim," he said, "Where we'll go on our horses."

Loki grinned.

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"They're boys, Frigga,"

"I know," she said, "But they fight so often, sometimes I'm afraid –"

Odin put a finger to his lips. The door squeaked.

The soft light spilled onto the floor of the darkened hallway.

He smiled and he beckoned his queen nearer to see.

Thor was still dressed, fast asleep, propped up by the pillows at the head of his bed, leaning against his brother, who was sleeping beside him in his nightshirt with one of their great picture books spread across both their laps. Loki's hand was on the page as though he'd been tracing something out for Thor to see when they'd fallen asleep. Thor's arm was loosely draped across the younger boy's shoulders.

Blankets and toys were strewn about the floor, but that was secondary.

Behind him he heard Frigga give a soft, crooning sound.

Gently, he stepped back and closed the door.

"I don't think you need worry any longer," he said.

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What did Thor "fall in" to? Don't know. Not the point. Fill that in as you like. The point of this chapter was to show the boys interacting with each other and with their parents – specifically their father – in a more positive light than they're typically portrayed.

My argument goes like this. Loki's pissed with Odin. Thor too, but I think mostly Odin. There's a lot more doubt where Thor's concerned. If your dad had ignored me my whole life, then you might be pissed – if fact, you probably would be – but imagine if you and your dad used to have a great relationship, then, for whatever reason, he just stopped. You'd be left wondering if you'd done something wrong, and if so, what. In a kid, that would breed a lot of insecurity and misplaced guilt. I think the fandom is pretty unanimous in agreement that Loki has both of these problems.

Also, when watching The Dark World I'm always horrified by Odin. I always wonder what could have possibly gone so wrong that you could ever say that to your child. I get that there are a-hole parents out there, but, seriously? If I was Loki, and I had always known my father was that set against me, I would have given up trying to get his approval a lot sooner. Perhaps Loki's more stubborn than I am, but, just like I did in that last paragraph, what if it was more than that? His insecurities make more sense if he's always gotten mixed-messages from Odin.

And as far as Odin goes, I don't know about anyone else, but if two of my friends do the same stupid thing, I'm gonna be more pissed with the one I thought knew better. It's like "Of course he did that, he's an idiot, but you were the Chosen One!" (Pardon the Star Wars reference. I'm a lover of many fandoms) Anyway, my thoughts.

On the current chapter again, I think Odin and Frigga have to have a really good relationship. I mean, when she puts up with everything she puts up with, they have to.

Originally, I wasn't going to show Loki being disciplined in any way. I was going to show Thor being a feisty little guy, imply that Loki also was going to get a "talking-to" and leave it at that. But I wanted to see how differently they might handle it. I took all my inspiration from the scene in Thor where Thor gets banished. Thor shouts back, Loki shuts up. Then I made them six/seven-year olds. And I did like resolving the argument at the end.

Oh. The line "If you are in the right then there is nothing to defend" was one I put in very deliberately. I think it's something Loki decided to live his life by. Character-forming moments.

'Startledly' is not a real word. Or it wasn't. It is now.

I plan on leaving you lovely people a love letter like this at the end of every chapter. It's part of my strategy. I'm explaining my argument, so you can tell me where I got it wrong and I can make a better one. Yes, I'm one of those special people.

Thoughts? Arguments? Counter-arguments? Hit me ;)

Oh, especially let me know if character slips. That is in the impression of the reader more than anyone else from my experience (truth being "in the eye of the beholder" and all that), and my argument only matters if it proves plausible that the real characters would have done/said what I'm suggesting they may have done/said, not if my construct of character does/says it. Let me know!

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Not sure if anyone who's followed me and mine are gonna now get the updated and edited version of this chapter. I'm a cave man as far as computers are concerned. I mean, my grandparents are about as savvy as I am. It's sad.

Anyways. Sorry to clutter up your inbox if you did.