Chapter Two

Loki yawned, rolling over on his soft bed covers before slowly opening his eyes. The sun shone through the white curtains that sheilded him from the balcony entrance, the small door was open slightly and a pleasant breeze cooled him down from the heat. Heat. Another blistering day In Asgard, heat had never done Loki any good and it had been on more than one occasion that he passed out from the warmth.

He moaned and slipped off the satin covers and onto the stone floor, quickly taking the clothes that had already been set out for him on the dresser and got changed. He scraped his shorter hair back and took the emerald green potion Frigga had left on the side for him. He swished it around his mouth, cringing at the strong mint that stung his tongue before spitting it into the silver sink in his bathing room.

It was odd, Frigga would have woken him.

Loki looked back at the bracelet he had placed on the nightstand. It worked. Loki couldn't remember the last time he had had a full nights sleep or a night without nightmares. Laufey had no reason to give him such a gift, maybe he wasn't the monster Odin had talked about.

"Loki? Are you in there darling?" Frigga called, knocking on the door quickly.

"Yes"

"Decent?"

"Yes"

The door swung open, Loki stumbled back and grabbed the bracelet, hiding it behind his back. His father wouldn't take kindly to his enemy giving a gift to his son.

"You slept well? I can't believe it" she kissed his forehead, smiling. "Breakfast is ready, Your father and brother are waiting." Loki smiled and nodded, taking off down the hall with the next volume of 'Caspians works' in his hand.

Odin was seated at the head of the table, Thor beside him, they were both talking about some stupid sparing incident Loki couldn't give a hel about and his brothers 19th birthday. He took his seat beside Odin, 'accidently' kicking Thor under the table.

"Agh! Loki" Thor glared but he couldn't hide the glint in his eye. Odin shook his head and cast a stern look at his youngest before gesturing for them to pick whatever food they wish from the table. Loki helped himself to a few sizzling sausages, fresh bread and egg before Thor would stick his hands into everything, and placed them on the silver platter before him.

Frigga soon joined them, happily joining in conversation with both Loki and Thor, noting how Loki ate quickly before excusing himself.

"Odin, Loki slept soundly last night"

Odin and Thor turned to her, glancing after Loki who was exiting through the door that would lead him to the stables.

"No...dreams?"

"Nothing, I believe he's found a cure, or something that surpresses them. Our boy is growing into a strong sorcerer"

"Indeed"

"You should tell him that more often" Frigga cast her husband an accusing look before pecking his cheek and excusing herself. Thor frowned after his mother, it was not that often that she spoke to her husband in that tone.

"Thor, where is your brother?"

"I don't know, probably to read or find Fandral" Thor glared at the table. "I wanted to talk to you about that father, Fandral is too close to Loki for my liking"

Odin smirked, grabbing a fresh bread roll and slicing it in half, spreading the rich butter onto the bread. "Close in what way?"

"Friends obviously, and I know it's immature to say but Loki is my brother and I don't want him to prefer Fandral over me" Thor narrowed his eyes, biting a sausage in half and swallowing it without chewing.

Odin laughed and patted his son on the back. "Thor, Fandral does not mock Loki for his magical gifts, you do. You are a man now and Loki is almost coming to an end of his boyhood, you must set an example for him. Find the Lady Sif, Volstagg and Hogun, if Fandral is not with Loki find him and invite Loki on a quest. You used to play alot together before your 17th birthday."

"I know" Thor sighed, wiping his hands on napkin "I'll find him and ask him to visit Alfheim with us" he stood, bowing his head to Odin and leaving the hall.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Heimdall!"

The all seeing God turned, nodding his head in acknowledgement at the Prince before turning back to the Bifrost entrance, eager to see how Loki was, or even if he was alive.

"Have you seen my brother?"

"Loki?"

"Well...yeah" Thor frowned at the question, raising his eyebrows as his friend didn't even blink and looked tense, tenser than usual.

"He...is In Jotunheim, I cannot hear him nor see him"

Thor ran upto where Heimdall stood. "Why is he in Jotunheim?"

Heimdall didn't answer, instead he just stared into the abys. Watching Laufey talk to someone he could not see or hear, not even the Frost giants words were coherent. Loki had requsted he go to Jotunheim to thank Laufey for a gift, and forbade him to tell anyone about it.

Jotunheim...

Laufey stood as the small form appeared before him in his throne room, two Frost giants glaring down at him. Loki. The boy was glaring right back at the giants, his arms crossed in defiance and head high. Just like Odin.

"Prince Loki, Why are you here" he adressed him sharply.

Loki said nothing, instead he pulled out the bracelet Laufey had given him from his pocket and smiled, looking back up at him.

"I came to thank you, My dreams were, well, non existent but I want to know how you came to discover I had nightmares and just exactly how you came to own such a useful tool" Loki's voice was confident and questioning, making Laufey laugh.

"Your dreams come true, don't they?"

Loki did nothing, his face set in a stone expression as he stared up at the Frost giant king.

"I had a wife like that" Laufey leant back, dismissing the reluctant guards. "She was a powerful sorceress, the bracelet is hers..keep it"

Loki frowned. "I am the son of your enemy, Why would you give this to me?"

Laufey chuckled, he could easily tell Loki the truth. He wanted that more than anything but there was no way of knowing how the young boy would take the news. He could deny it, or turn against Odin completely which would be the final push Laufey needed to defeat the king. He would feel what Laufey felt, the loss of a son.

"If I tell you, your life will never be the same"

Loki seemed to consider this, staring at the bracelet and back at Laufey carefully.

"I want to know"

Laufey smiled, leaving his throne as the side doors swung open. Norendra fluttered in gracefully. Loki did a double take when he saw her. Jotun women were meant to be horrible, ugly. This girl was beautiful. She was a lighter shade of blue, the markings on her face and arms were finer and delicate, beautiful even. Her hair was jet black and thick, braided into a single plait that reached the end of her back and was decorated in saphires. She wore a red gown, something unheard of Jotunheim, and to Loki's final surprise, she had blue/green eyes and thick eyelashes instead of the normal blood red. Instead of the meaty fat Odin had described most Jotun women had, she was slim and small.

"Loki, this is my daughter Norendra and Norendra, this is Prince Loki of Asgard" Norendra turned to him, her eyes wide. Her father had told her that her brother had been found, she had wanted to burn Odin for taking him and get him back but Laufey had insisted it wasn't the time and to risk war was not wise.

"Loki, she is half Asgardian"

Loki stared, his mouth agape and eyes wide. Laufey walked upto him, towering over him like he did to his daughter. "She is a sorceress too" he turned his head as Norendra smiled, her skin fading into a normal blush and rosy cheeks. Like a human.

She did a little courtesy that made Loki snigger.

"Her mother, Farbauti, was Asgardian and fell in love with me. Loki, it was before the war...she died in labour, delivering first Norendra, then you"

Loki almsot dropped the bracelet,he stared up at the giant. Disbeief written all over his face. Odin was his father and Frigga his mother, there was no possibility that he wasn't theirs. They wouldv'e told him, surely.

"It's true, you're my brother" Norendra began to walk forward but was stoped midway by a look from Laufey.

"Your mother gave birth to you as the Asgardian army attacked the castle, I took you to the temple so you'd be safe but when I returned you had gone. I thought you dead until I saw you yesterday, That is why I gave you the bracelet, you look so much like Farbauti. Your mother was weakened when I left her, when I returned...she was dead"

Loki swallowed hard,the missing pieces of the puzzle fitting in.

"There was a dagger in her womb, her stomach. Odins dagger"

"No, My father wouldn't do that...he wouldn't kill a woman who had just given birth!" he spat, disgusted.

Laufey sighed sharply, clenching his fists. "His dagger was imapled in her stomach, tell me, does your father let other's touch his daggers?"

Loki said nothing.

"No? He killed her, like he killed scores of innocent Frost giants. Not just those in the war but those in their houses, he took you to spite me"

Loki shook his head, dazed as he collapsed crossed legged on the floor of the freezing throne room.

"Odin is a tyrant, he slaughtered your mother and innocents and stole you. I loved Farbauti but Odin saw her as a traitor for falling in love with me." Loki cursed at the stinging behind his eyes as he thought about his father, or Odin. If he thought so little of his birth mother then what did he think of Loki? Did he take him just to spite Laufey?

Norendra placed a soothing hand on Loki's back and sat next to him. "I know this must be a lot to take in-"

"Alot to take in!? I have just learnt that the man I have called father has killed innocents, that he took me away from a family were I might have been treated like an equal" Loki scowled, it finally made sense. How Odin favoured Thor all these years, he didn't want a half frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard.

"Loki, we can end this...Help us, you are a strong magician but I can teach you better spells than just tricks and mischeif" Norendra smiled, genuinely. "You could put an end to Odin's reign, he is a tyrant and would cheat the public into believing he is so omnibenevolent, Join us and you could sit on that throne. Our realms will be so powerful combined, we will make the Nine worlds a better place under our command"

Loki swallowed hard, he liked that. Thor was so arrogant and reckles, he would drive Asgard into ruins, trade would be tarnished and the world will crumble. Odin had lied about his life, what else has he lied about?

"I'll help" he said, the sound so omninous and serious it was carried down the throne room. Laufey grinned, his blood red eyes lighting up in pleasure. Odin would die, if not physically then at least in spirit.

"Good" Norendra stood, brushing off her dress. "It will happen now" she held out both of her hands, Loki hesitantly joined them as Laufey backed away and watched smugly from the shadows. Soldiers joined him, as if they had been waiting and watching.

Norendra looked Loki straight in the eye, her bow shaped lips parting as she mumbled the beginning of a spell that Loki had never heard of, despite reading countless books from Asgard and Vanaheim on magic.

As suddenly as it started a gust of wind blew around them both, whsipering voices hissed in Loki's ear and he shivered as an ice cold feeling started in his core and spread through to his finger tips.

The wind grew fierce before abruptly cutting off and leaving the halls silent.

"It's done Loki"

"What will it do?" Loki stared at her suspiciously.

"You'll see, now returm to Asgard" she kissed his cheek and smiled, and Loki couldn't help but smile back.

"We will arrive In Asgard when the time is right" Laufey nodded his head and put an affectionate hand on Loki's shoulder, knowing that Odin's fall would be happening very soon.