I'm not dead, guys! :D
I spent the next few days in my chambers after finding out, avoiding Thor at all costs. I heard Mother tell him that I was ill and needed some time alone; thank Valhala he was stupid and believed it. Even afterwards, when I was 'better', life was never the same.
It was just Mother, Father and I who knew of my true origins. Thor was too boar-headed not to notice the small flinches whenever he talked to me about hunting down the Jotuns and slaying them, or how I stood a little farther away from the Casket whenever we went down to see it. It was never the same between anyone in my family. Sure, I appreciated the space I was given, but it slowly became annoying how Father always kept an arms distance away from me, and how Mother was determined to 'protect' me from even the smallest of things.
The years scraped on almost painfully, each decade slowly ticking the time until Thor would rule. Each day called for drastic measures in hiding from my brother, as he discovered all my old hiding spots the day I did.
I wasn't entirely sure how I had found the portal in the cliffs that teleported even faster than the Bifröst, but it certainly came in handy when it came to avoiding people. The first time going through I landed was in Jotunheim, and, though I don't like to think about it, something might have seen me scramble back to the craggy entrance to the portal. Afterwards I landed on (hopefully) inhabited planets, which provided me refuge for an hour or two until I deemed it safe to go home.
On a far better note, I spent far more time with Mother than I used to, and she taught me just about everything I know. She taught me how to fight, how to help a king rule wisely and fairly (as Thor would probably come to me for advice on certain things), and, most importantly, how to use magic. Its uses varied from simple things like levitating and summoning small objects, to more complicated things such as casting illusions and changing my appearance. As I got better and better, I started having to use the portal in the cliffs as a hiding spot less and less, as I could rely on magic to weasel my way out of Thor's hair.
Our final lesson together, when I was the Midgardian physical equivalent of fourteen, could hardly be considered that. All Mother did was smile, straighten my clothes a bit, and said, "Good luck, my son." I never knew I needed it before that day happened. The day that was supposed to be Thor's coronation to be the King of Asgard.
A while before the actual coronation ceremony, my brother joined me in as I was staring blankly out of a window in mild discomfort. It wasn't the events of this day that made me itch, but the armor that Mother insisted I wear. The clothing was practically rubbing my skin raw, and the more-than-slightly-ridiculous-looking helmet sat heavily awkwardly on my head, but even the greatest men who have an ounce of respect in them listen to their mothers.
Thor came and stood next to me, Mjölnir in hand and helmet atop his head (far less ridiculous than mine, might I add), sharing in the awkward silence for a while. At length, he spoke, saying: "Today is the day I've been waiting for near my entire life."
"Is it? I haven't noticed." I responded, fake spite and real sarcasm in my voice.
He chuckled, clapping me on the back, almost knocking my helmet off. As I adjusted it back on my head, it seemed as though Thor wanted to say something. Now, that wasn't too big of a surprise, but he looked…nervous. Extremely nervous, as though what he was about to say would potentially offend me in some way or another.
Clearing his throat, he began forming a word when the doors opened. We turned to see Mother approaching us, a slightly stern expression on her face. "There you two are!" She led us both away by our elbows. "The ceremony's about to begin! And I find you two out here, staring out a window…" I couldn't help but smile a bit at Mother's concern for both of us. It was, after all, just about the biggest day in all of Asgard for centuries.
My brother took his place at the entrance to the hall and I took mine next to Mother's near Father's throne as the ceremony began. Thor held Mjölnir high above his head and shouted, causing the entire hall to erupt. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that he was rubbing the sheer might of his hammer in everyone's faces. When he finally made his way to Father's throne, after throwing a wink at Mother and I (earning an eye-roll from us both), Father truly began the coronation.
I hardly heard what he said. Half of me didn't care, just so long as it ended quickly and I could remove my damned helmet. The other half was focusing on the change in temperature. It was small, so most people in the hall probably couldn't feel it, but I did. The air grew colder with every word spoken, cold enough to where people were noticing the change. Then Father stopped, and we voiced our worries at the same time.
"Frost Giants…"