Loki didn't think Thor was ready to be crowned king. Natalia had noticed the shift in him. He'd hidden more from the others, reading and going out for walks when usually he would stay with them and pretend to enjoy himself. He'd even brushed her off a couple of times and she'd found it upsetting. Loki had always confided in her, had always told her what he was up to. He looked at Thor differently now. He still loved him but he was jealous and Loki had never known how to handle jealousy. She cornered him at the next best chance, during a feast. They'd held it for yet another successful hunt. Loki didn't care much for feasts or the company and Natalia knew it wouldn't take an hour for him to disappear. Nobody but her ever seemed to notice when his seat became empty. Thor was always too busy boasting about his victories, drinking and eating, and so were the Warrior's Three. The rest of the company didn't care for Loki enough to pay the younger prince any attention, whether he was there or not. But Natalia always had. Oftentimes she'd leave with him, or shortly after him. Tonight, she followed him right away.

"Loki."

He smiled as he turned to face her. She'd grown stealthy. It wasn't often that someone could sneak up on him but she'd managed for a few years now. She knew him well.

"Let us walk."

She nodded and caught up to him and together they walked through the hallway and out into the gardens. It was late and the stars shone brightly, as did the rest of Asgard. Frigga's gardens were beautiful. She'd liked them since she was small, when Frigga had first taken her out here to help her take care of them. She found it calming and peaceful and as a child, it had helped her ease her mind when she was upset with her past. Loki had taken to walking with her here, where they could talk. The gardens weren't a place most people came to. Only Frigga and them. Thor held little love for the place, though he would never dare say so out loud. He knew how much time and care his mother had put into these gardens and he would never belittle the attention and love.

"What's going on with you lately?"

Loki didn't try to deny her words. She had never judged him like the rest of them and while he'd grown secretive toward the others, he had never wanted to exclude her that same way. He stopped and looked up at the stars, then back at her.

"Is this about Thor's coronation?"

"One could think you are capable of reading minds. It is indeed about that. Thor isn't ready to be king. He's impatient, and a brute. He isn't what Asgard needs of its king. He is a warrior prince, not a wise leader."

"He'll grow into it. Once he realizes how much depends on him, and how much weight will rest upon his shoulders. He'll live up to the title."

"And how long will that take? He doesn't think before he acts. Thor would rage a war for the glory of battle rather than avoid it diplomatically. How many will have to die or be injured before he realizes that?"

Not two weeks earlier, Natalia had gotten hurt because of the blond. What kind of king would he be if he got his own allies injured? Loki's healing magic had improved considerably in the past decades but he still needed to ask his mother for help in tending to Natalia's wounds. Loki hadn't spoken to Thor for days, until she had pushed him to at least try and forgive him. Thor hadn't meant to hurt her.

"He has you," she told him.

"He has never listened to me… Any advice I give falls on deaf ears. I might as well try to teach a troll how to read."

She couldn't help a little laugh at the comparison and Loki smiled in return. She knew his fears weren't based on nothing but she had faith that Thor could grow into the king everyone wanted him to be. He cared about Asgard more than anything else and its safety and its people's happiness were always in the forefront of his mind.

"He has you, and Frigga and his friends. And Odin. He won't be ruling alone, not with all of you by his side. He can't ignore everyone's advice."

"He can if he wants to. And it is too late now. I have already set my plans in motion."

"What did you do?"

He sighed and cupped her cheek. She would need to stay far away. He could not risk the giants going against their deal and attacking the throne room.

"I invited Frost Giants to the party," he joked.

"Loki, no."

"It is already done. They will attack the vault, and be stopped immediately by the Allfather. Nobody will get harmed, but it will interrupt the ceremony. And Thor will undoubtedly do something stupid to retaliate."

"You want to prove a point to your father? You always did have a funny way of going about that."

She disapproved but if it was truly too late to change his plans now, then she wasn't going to go against him. She just hoped he had really thought this through. The giants weren't reliable allies, that much her studies had taught her, and they were brutal beings. They weren't interested in going peacefully and if they decided the vault wasn't good enough, then they would come out to attack Asgardians. Loki seemed certain they wouldn't though. She knew the vault was guarded by more than just a couple of palace guards so perhaps she worried too much.

"What if they find out you were the one to let them in?"

"They won't," he grinned.

Natalia rolled her eyes. For somebody so calculated, he sure got reckless sometimes. He got caught often because people suspected him and his mischiefs lay on a completely different level than those of any other inhabitant of the realm. Sneaking Frost Giants past Heimdall – and how else was he going to get them in – was something only a sorcerer like himself could accomplish.

"What is the worst that can happen, really? Father would never do anything to upset his dear Thor."

"You said he'll do something stupid. Like wanting to storm Jotunheim for its intrusion upon Asgard?"

He bit his lip for a moment, crossing his hands behind his back and pacing a few feet back and forth. Thor would want to retaliate and Thor had no boundaries when it came to battles. He would want to go to Jotunheim and likely cause a war in the process. At the same time, if that was what Thor would do, then Loki knew he wouldn't let them go without passing the information on to Odin.

"Should that happen, you cannot come with us."

"I fought against trolls, Loki."

"Trolls are mindless. Frost Giants are not. They will kill you."

She knew when she was faced with an argument she couldn't win and this was one of them. Loki didn't deny her much of anything but when it came to her safety, he made few compromises. Trolls were one thing; they were slow and usually alone and so he had let her fight with them, always making sure she wasn't in harm's way. But giants of any sort were a completely different story. They were intelligent beings with a wish to fight and kill that bore deeper than their need to feed. He would not subject her to the danger that entailed. If Thor and company wanted to go fight on Jotunheim, so be it, but without her there with them.

"You're an idiot," she sighed, giving in.

"I'm merely worried."

She raised her eyebrow at that. Worried as he may be, not every worried person would go to such extremes to prove their point.

"You're jealous. You needn't be."

"Nobody sees me the way you do, darling. I don't want the throne. I just want a worthy king on it."

"There are other ways of accomplishing that. Less drastic ways. Sometimes you're just as reckless and impatient as him."

"Perhaps."

She shook her head and he relaxed again. They didn't return to the feast and nobody questioned their absence. Nobody even noticed it, at this point far too drunk to pay attention to who was there and who wasn't. Loki was used to it and Natalia didn't care.

The coronation was not a week later. The brothers were in their regal armors, Sif and the Warrior's Three were dressed for the occasion as well and Natalia had received another dress from Frigga. She had a few, for banquets and royal visits, though she greatly preferred her own armor over them. They were all beautiful, most tinted a green similar to Loki's, some red or blue. The one she had gotten for tonight was golden, with silver bracelets. It was close to the one Frigga herself was wearing that day.

She shared a look with Loki as they took their places. He smiled at her warmly but Natalia's mind was occupied with what was going to happen soon. When Thor entered the throne room, cheers erupted from all around them. He bathed in the attention, not like a humble king but like the esteemed warrior prince he was. Frigga and Sif both rolled their eyes and glancing back at Odin, Natalia could see that he looked displeased. Loki did too. She had gotten used to those moods from both princes. The noises died down when Odin touched his spear to the ground and Thor knelt down in front of the throne. Odin began his speech to inaugurate his son but before he could finish, something caught his attention. He fell silent and listened for a moment longer, then whispered: "Frost Giants."

Reaching the vault with their father, the Destroyer had taken care of the couple of giants that had infiltrated the room and Thor looked at them angrily. Loki remained calm, and so did Odin.

"How could this have happened? We need to-"

But Thor couldn't finish his sentence. Odin had taken in the vault and was pleased to see they hadn't gotten their hands on anything. He turned to his sons and gestured for Thor to be quiet. Loki watched silently.

"We needn't do anything."

"This was an act of war!"

"It was the act of a few. You cannot damn an entire race to war over the act of a couple of theirs. They have trespassed, and they have been dispatched. Nobody got hurt. This needs no further action from our part."

Thor was outraged. He only fell silent once more when Odin reminded him that he wasn't yet king. The decision on what to do still lay with Odin himself. Thor stormed off and Loki quietly followed him before Odin would address him. Lately, he didn't enjoy spending time alone with his father. Too often was he reminded of his failures next to Thor's glorious accomplishments.

He found Thor in the dining hall, a table flipped and food on the floor. Natalia was already there with him but her calming words weren't heard by the angry God. As much as he adored her, Natalia had rarely been able to calm his anger. Loki and Frigga were usually the only ones who could.

"How could father just ignore this?" he boomed when he noticed Loki entering.

"It was only a couple Jotuns. He is right. That could hardly qualify as an act of war."

"How did they even get into Asgard? Heimdall guards the Bifrost, always."

Natalia didn't look at Loki and Loki kept his focus on Thor and his rage.

"I suppose we won't know."

"Unless…"

Loki cocked his head to the side when Thor grinned that grin of his that meant he was about to be dragged into something dangerous. They had been right then. He would want to storm Jotunheim.

"Thor, no. No, no, no. This is a terrible idea."

"What's a terrible idea?"

The Warrior's Three and Sif had just entered and Thor jumped up from where he sat with the broadest smile on his face.

"We march into Jotunheim."

"Are you mad?" Volstagg laughed before he noticed the fallen food. His face fell instantly.

Natalia couldn't help the little smile. He did love food a lot. The rest of them voiced their concerns too, though all of them knew that they wouldn't be able to convince Thor of anything else. And none of them would let him go by himself. Not even the great Thor would last against all of Jotunheim's might by himself. Sif gave in first, followed by Fandral and Hogun's silent agreement, then Volstagg and Loki. The latter turned to Natalia once the rest of them were too busy discussing a plan of action (after Sif pressed for it. She would not go to Jotunheim without a plan).

"You must stay back. Tell father where we're going once we've left. And tell mother not to worry," he whispered to her, "Now go before Thor remembers you're here and drags you with us."

She nodded and he kissed her temple before he turned back to his comrades, listening in on the rest of the plan while Natalia made her exit, unseen.

They rode the rainbow bridge to the observatory where they were greeted by Heimdall. He wasn't pleased that the Jotuns had gotten past him as if invisible and he wasn't convinced by the prince's request to travel to Jotunheim. He was bound to the royal family and their wishes, however, so he let them go, his gaze lingering on Loki for a second longer. Smuggling giants past him seemed like the kind of thing Loki would at least be capable of.

Meanwhile, Natalia had sought out Odin to inform him of the travel the group was doing. They were bound to run into trouble sooner rather than later. She went to Frigga after that. She was always worried about Loki when he was out without her, even though she knew that she wasn't as capable of protecting him than the other way around. The two women waited together, Natalia running her fingers through her hair to give herself something to do. It was almost as long as Sif's now.

When Loki returned, it was without Thor. Sif and friends had already come back to the palace earlier and they expected to see Thor come back with his younger brother. There was confusion when it didn't happen. Not all of them had made it out unscathed and so they had their injuries taken care of while Sif cornered Loki. She knew he had something to do with this. With Odin's involvement in getting them back home. She was grateful, of course, it had saved their lives after all, but she was angry too.

"I sent word to him," Loki explained, not willing to subject Natalia to Sif's temper.

"And now Thor has been banished. This is all your fault, trickster. You could have talked him out of this; I know you could have. But you didn't even try, did you? You just let it happen!"

"I didn't know that he would be banished for it. I never thought father would go that far. But we've all seen what Thor is like. He did him a favour."

Sif barely contained her scream, Natalia his saving grace. She had just joined them and Sif had never liked to shout around her. It had triggered her often as a child and she'd learned to control her temper enough to stop it when she was around.

Loki left and Natalia watched the four remaining figures in the room. They were angry, upset, and hurt. But Loki had looked confused. She ran after him but he'd already disappeared. She eventually found him in his chambers, sitting on his bed with his gaze intensely focused on his arm. He hadn't heard her knock.

"Loki?"

He was startled out of his thoughts and he hated the expression she wore. He hated it when he worried her.

"I am fine. Thor is on Midgard, exiled by father. I didn't mean for it to happen."

She came to sit next to him. She had heard the news already, from Frigga who had been in tears when she'd told her.

"I know… I'm worried about you though. What happened on Jotunheim?"

He didn't look at her for a few moments too long so his lie of "nothing" wasn't convincing. He was an excellent liar, even with her when he truly wanted to be but this time, he might as well have not tried at all. Still, she knew she wouldn't get it out of him if she pushed so she sat with him in silence, grasping his hand in hers. He smiled softly and squeezed her fingers gently. He loved that she always understood when he needed to keep something to himself, when he wasn't ready to talk about something or didn't have the words to say what he wanted which didn't happen very often.

"Thor will come back. Maybe then he'll have learned to be the king you want him to be."

She didn't leave again that night and fell asleep on his bed. He tucked her in, an old habit, and then left. One touch of a Frost Giant had turned his arm blue. He'd felt no pain, like the others, upon the touch but he found the change of color more curious. He'd thought about it ever since. How it had turned blue, how there had been no pain, how he never felt cold. If his suspicions we're right then it all made sense. But he didn't understand how that could be true. So he went back to the vault, back to the Casket of Ancient Winters the Jotuns had been after for centuries now. His entire body turned blue when he touched it and he could watch the change right in front of his eyes. He only let go again when the vault door opened and he heard Odin's footsteps behind him.

"What am I?"

"You are my son, Loki."

He laughed bitterly, then turned around to face him with crimson eyes and the will to not show his anger and hurt.

"What more than that?"

And Odin explained it to him. He explained how he'd found an abandoned little baby boy in the midst of a battlefield on Jotunheim, left there to die by Laufey. How he'd taken the boy home and how he and Frigga had raised him as their own. Loki was stolen. Asgard was not his home, Odin not his father (he would never consider Frigga anything but his mother) and his entire life had been a lie. All of it. He wanted to break down where he stood. Odin had berated him on taking Natalia away from her home and yet he had done the exact same thing to him. And so he screamed at him everything he'd ever wanted to tell him. It all made sense now. Odin favouring Thor all these years, Loki never having stood a chance of becoming king – not that he'd ever really wanted to – and how Loki had never fit in despite his best attempts. Why he looked different than any of his family. He had been a tool all his life. Odin had taken him to use him when the time was right. He had never intended on telling him he was adopted. He wondered if the rest of Asgard knew or if it had been a secret to them too. Nobody would want a Jotun amidst the royal family, or on the throne. He laughed, in tears. This was too bizarre to be real. As he continued shouting, Odin collapsed and in his moment of bitter hatred toward the man, Loki left him there.

He was still blue when he returned to his chambers, momentarily having forgotten that Natalia was there too. He was relieved to see her face. He felt so betrayed by his family; he was confused and angry and he still didn't understand how this could be his new reality. Natalia had never hurt him; she'd never lied to him or betrayed him. He hadn't meant to wake her up but she'd always been sensitive to his moods and she stirred before opening her eyes a moment later. At first, she didn't realize that it was Loki who stood in the room, blue as he was. She reached for the dagger she always had with her and was ready to strike him when the moonlight illuminated his features and she recognized him at once. There was a moment where neither of them spoke or moved, both shocked into silence. Then Natalia got up, leaving her blade abandoned on the bed, and crossed the little distance between them.

"Loki?"

He didn't know what to say. Perhaps he should have explained his suspicion when he had had the chance earlier. Now she was faced with a monster. He wanted to cry again. Loki snapped out of it when she reached up to touch him and he tried to stop her but she frowned and pushed on, placing her hand against his cheek. He saw no fear in her eyes, no hatred. He almost smiled at her. She winced a little when their skin came into contact and caused her hand to turn a dark purple almost immediately. It hurt more than what she was used to from training or hunts. Still, she refused to let go of him.

"Stop. You'll hurt yourself."

Natalia only managed to keep the contact up for another few seconds before pulling away. Her hand felt useless and would need some serious attention later but it wasn't important to her right now.

Only when he calmed down did the blue fade and his eyes return to their normal color. He held his usual Asgardian appearance again; one that he now knew to be a glamor put onto him by Odin. Deeming it safe to touch him again, Natalia hugged herself to him, her frozen hand hanging limply by her side and her other buried in his cape.

"What happened?"

"I am a lie. Stolen," he whispered.

"Stolen like me?"

"Quite… for less noble reasons. I suppose that is why nobody truly objected me taking you."

"It's not so bad," she mumbled against his chest.

He disagreed. He was much older than her. She, at least, knew who she really was even if her memories from Midgard had faded into vague ideas. His entire life was a lie. He pulled away and steeled himself. He told her what Odin had told him and she listened patiently, not once interrupting him or pushing him on. She let him talk, let him vent and cry. She took it well.

"I don't care what you are," she told him, "You'll always be the same person to me."

She didn't think him a monster, regardless of all the things she'd learned about Jotunheim and its inhabitants. She loved Loki, unconditionally. He'd always shown her that same kind of love.

The look on his face was a familiar sight to her. He was up to something.

"Where are we going?"

"You are not going anywhere. This is mine."

"I'm coming with you. Wherever you go. I'm staying with you, Loki."

He stared at her for a few seconds and then smiled at her lovingly. She had never stopped being by his side, despite any missteps he may have taken that had upset her, she had always stood by him. Not once had she abandoned him. Natalia wasn't bound to Asgard. It had been her home for the majority of her life and she loved it dearly, but she loved Loki more. He was her everything. Without him, this place would be nothing to her.

"I am leaving this place. Odin is not my father, Thor not my brother. I do not want to live this lie any longer."

She didn't ask about Frigga. She would be upset, heartbroken, but Loki needed to do this and he had every right to it.

"Where to?"

"I don't know. Anywhere but here."

Asgard didn't need him and he didn't need Asgard. There were other realms, other places in the universe he could occupy. He was certain somebody had found Odin by now and he supposed the old man was in his Sleep now, leaving the kingdom in Frigga's capable hands. Whether or not that was the case, however, Loki no longer cared. If Frigga was unwilling to take the throne, it would fall to him, but what need did he have for it? He never wanted the throne and now that he knew what he really was, he despised everything that throne stood for.

Natalia had left quickly and had grabbed her things from her room, ready in less than five minutes. She didn't own much she couldn't part with. Loki and Frigga had spoiled her with books all her life, clothes and anything she had wanted or needed to be comfortable. Now all she needed was a bag full of clothes, her armor, and every weapon she could find. She'd only packed one book; the very first one Loki had ever gotten her.

He took her hand when they were both ready and led her away, to a portal outside of town that transported them away from Asgard, into a different realm. They lay low when they reached Vanaheim, careful not to be recognized. People here knew Asgard's royal family well and undoubtedly word of them both disappearing had long spread through the realms closest to the Realm Eternal. Loki hadn't made many friends in the past so they were not only on their own, but also in danger of getting found out and reported to royal guards. Natalia had prevented some of his more harmful ideas from springing into action. She had kept his bitterness at bay when it had threatened to overwhelm him. She had become his save haven. She'd never minded his pranks and mischief, though she had chided him a few times in the past when he had crossed a line. But she'd never been upset with him for long, never disappointed. As a child, his tricks had always cheered her up and she'd taken a liking to them for that reason especially.

"We'll stay here for a while," he said when they'd found a small town far away from where Thor and his friends usually were.

They had a better chance of remaining unrecognized here.

"Do you want revenge?"

They walked up the stairs of the tavern to the room they had booked and she settled on the bed there, watching him curiously. She still looked like a child to him when she did that.

"I do. Will you help me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Natalia."

"I owe you my life."

He tucked her long hair back behind her ear and sat down next to her. He didn't know if he could do this without her. His thirst for revenge would surely drown him without her steadying presence by his side.

For now, they would get some rest and some peace and quiet here. A plan could wait. Perhaps they would even hear news of Asgard's affairs from here. He already missed his mother. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. The thought of not was almost unbearable but when he glanced back at the red head next to him, it became better. It was heartbreaking to think he might never see the woman he loved so dearly again, but having Natalia by his side made it hurt less. Both her and his mother were his whole world and while his reality had been shattered into pieces with the revelation of his true origins, this was still intact. Natalia was still here, with him, loving him no less than she did the previous day. He wasn't alone, even if his mother was far away. He wouldn't succumb to the bitterness.