20 years ago...

An agonizing cold took over his small body as he fell against the ground, the shiny shards of ice cutting through his fragile skin, his eyes shining with fear and pain. The little boy looked up hesitantly, barely seeing anything through the dense wind that raced through the Realm. Before he could stand up on his own, a strong hand grabbed him by the arm and forced him up, panic returning to the boy about to lose control of himself.

"No... No, please, let me go...!" Loki sobbed as the creature next to him forced him to walk, entering the dark Realm he had always feared and that was now engulfing him. He could not understand what was going on, he could not understand why his father had done nothing to protect him. The sorrow felt too heavy for his small lungs and he coughed desperately with the sudden lack of air.

"T-Thor... Please, b-brother, where are you...?!" He called as his legs gave in, too weak and scared to continue. Before he could even gather some air, however, a movement pushed him back as Laufey held his arm with violence, forcing him to stand up once again.

"Stop whining, brat!" The Jotun King ordered with anger, staring deeply into the shiny eyes of the boy. It was when Loki stared at his own arm and an unknown strength made him free himself, falling on his back, his heart beating faster and faster as he screamed, panicked.

"W-what have you done to me?!" He questioned as he realized his skin color becoming that of the monster in front of him. In his innocence, he wondered if he was freezing, not being able to think straight and, as Laufey saw the confusion in the boy's face, he smiled sadistically "W-what have you d-done to me?!"

"It seems you spent too much time with these damned Asgardians..." Laufey said to himself as he watched Loki's skin losing its blue tone "It will not take long before you are invulnerable to cold again but, until then, you may keep this armor of yours"

"W-What are you talking about?! Let me go, I want to go home!" He yelled, blood rushing through his veins and making him feel dizzy. The blood red eyes stared at him and the deep voice made his heart stop beating for a second as simple yet tearing words reached his ears.

"This is your home" Laufey told him with a masochist smile.

"W... What?"

"And Odin calls himself a man..." the Jotun mocked, staring down at the child who looked about to faint "What did he tell you? Did he even tell you anything?"

Loki was still in shock, trying to get up but falling as his body felt too heavy for him to move. He tried to speak but only half words left his mouth. Odin had only said he would have to leave but did not have time to explain the reason... He gulped, feeling sick.

"You are not an Asgardian," Laufey told him, coldly "You are and have always been one of us, a Jotun, a Frost Giant, adopted by the All Father because he felt sorry for you. No wonder he let go of you so easily... How could the All Father be satisfied with a weak and stubborn child such as you?"

Loki's green eyes lost a little bit of the life they had. His uncontrollable sobs returned as he searched for any trace of a lie in the creature's words but did not find any. He... He did not know what to think, did not know how to react,
did not know what to do, he... He wanted to go home...

"You are my son, Loki!" Laufey said and his name sounded evil and dark pronounced by the monster's lips "You are my son and future King of Jotunheim. You shall be trained into our ways and if you can make it you shall, one day, become the ruler of our Realm. But for now, you better stop crying and act as a real man would!" He finished his sentence, once again grabbing Loki's arm with violence and dragging him along. The boy tried to flee once again but in vain. Defeated, he finally gave in and tagged along with the tall monster, still not believing in his lies even though they still hurt... Hurt as if they were true...

They walked for what seemed like hours and Loki still felt terrible. The cold was severe and this horrible pain present on his mind and body grew stronger. He saw shadows walking on the walls, approaching, staring and then leaving once again and, before he could avoid it, he was searching for safety under the Frost Giant's arm, holding him as strong as he could as if he was not as menacing as the other things in this Realm were. But Laufey did not return the act and did not care about the child at all. There was only one reason for bringing him here.

They reached a small fortress made of ice, arrows and swords on the walls ready to taste the blood of whoever dared to enter their Realm. The fortress seemed to be empty but as soon as they arrived more giants appeared out of nowhere, the shadows Loki had seen a while ago. They were all really tall creatures, their naked chests blue as ice covered with scars, simple vestments covering their waists. The creature's blood red eyes glowing in the darkness, they all approached their King, Loki instantly hiding behind the man's back. Apparently, all of them had been waiting for his arrival for no one seemed surprised when they saw the boy.

"Are you sure he is the one?" One of the Jotuns asked, making fun of him "He is a little... Tiny"

The others surrounding them laughed. Laufey said nothing and pushed the boy forward, leaving him in the center of the circle of the dozens of Jotuns. The poor little boy looked around in despair, trying to figure a way out but nothing came into his mind.

"Do as your King has commanded" Laufey said suddenly and turned his back to them, leaving without a single trace of remorse. Lost, the once adopted son of Odin turned to face his foes gathering around him with deadly smiles shining on their lips.

"We shall make a great warrior out of you, brat," One of them said and, in a way that made Loki shiver, turned his right arm into a sharp piece of ice, followed by the others next to him "It is very simple. Survive this first trial and you shall have you chance. There is not a second option"

Loki stumbled on his own feet, falling on his back and watching as the creatures approached him, laughing, smiling, feeling pleasure in the boy's panicked face, his eyes once again filled up with tears, all of his hopes gone. "No, no, please, don't-."

A deeply painful scream was heard as a blade went through his right leg, more sorrowful tears leaving his eyes, all of his thoughts driven away by the insane pain that threatened to defeat him. Another sudden movement against his face and he closed his eyes stronger than he had ever done, a long and deep cut going from his forehead to his lips, the wounds dripping blood faster than he thought they would. Instantly impaired, Loki tried to get up with his left leg and, seeing no other option, he called the only one able to help him now.

"F-father, help me!" He called, the fear driving his body and forcing him to stand up, the Jotuns suddenly stopped following him, as if enjoying his foolish attempts to flee. Almost crawling, he reached the King of the Frost Giants who had turned around to face him and, desperately grabbing his legs, begged for help "T-They are going to k-kill me, father, please, h-help me!"

Laufey held him up, the little boy's naturally blue skin now shining under the dark red liquid that poured from the long cut over his face. His red eyes were not as dark due to the amount of tears covering them and for an instant Loki saw sympathy on the monster's eyes... But that did not last and, before he could even understand what had happened, he was thrown against the floor, his chest tasting the pain delivered by the King of the Jotuns bare hands, the little boy's armor not enough to protect him.

"You are alone from now on. Learn to take care of yourself or die trying!" Laufey said in a superior tone, turning around and following his own path while, behind him, a child choked on his own tears, tears of grief, tears of pain and solitude. He could not walk properly, his vision had been obscured by his own blood and now his pain constricted chest made it harder for him to breathe. The maniac laughter coming from the warriors in front of him made his heart beat with violence and he felt his throat suddenly getting dry. Before he even attempted to get up, a strong kick was struck against his stomach and he twisted around his own body, imploring for air.

"You have heard your King, boy" Another Jotun started saying, smiling "Which path are you going to take?"

Loki coughed intensely, the whole world spinning to his eyes, unknown faces staring at him with a cold desire to inflict pain over him. He tried to attack one of them by kicking them but the move only allowed them to cut his other leg, the boy launching his head against the ground, hopelessly crying for help...

"Now let's see what you are going to do without any of your legs, brat!" The youngest of the warriors said and, with no mercy, put his foot against Loki's neck, strangling him little by little as he tried to free himself, inaudible words leaving his mouth. Fighting against the pain, he tried punching his attacker but the lack of air was already killing him and he had no strength left to fight. The Jotun, however, instead of killing him in such a way, let him gather some air before another warrior sliced his armor and took it off him, his nude and bleeding chest now also being punished by the harsh cold.

"F... Father..." The boy called, losing consciousness. This time however, he was not thinking about the one that had brought him here... He was thinking about Odin, thinking about how he would play with him during the night before he fell asleep, thinking about how he had done anything to keep him safe during all these years. Then why... Why had he let Laufey take him so easily?

He tried getting up once again but another attack, this time he was struck on his back and fell face down, suffering, fighting to breathe, to survive. He could not hear the laughter so well and he also could not see anything clearly but, as he opened his eyes and saw someone in the distance, he trembled in relief and stretching his small arm, now terribly and fully cut, tried to hold the hand that also tried to grab his.

"B... Brother..." he whispered, his tears dripping on the ground as he hallucinated from the blood loss, desperately trying to hold his brother's hand without knowing he was not really there. Thor had come to save him as he had always done. He would be taken home, he would be taken back to his family and everything would be fine. His heart fought to the extreme, keeping him awake in his innocent try of reaching his big brother but his wounds and the deep weariness had already taken over him "B-Brot-"

A sudden and hard attack was inflicted against his head and his lifted arm, which had been trying so hard to find safety, fell dead against the cold ground of Jotunheim. His small body no longer trembling, he no longer felt pain nor sorrow. His eyes, which had turned back to green as he saw his brother, now laid slightly open, cold, staring into emptiness, its last tears falling down his cut cheeks and his hand, once so eager to hold himself into his brother's arms, simply laid on the ground, his brother never to feel them again.