Chapter 3. Husbands are Sometimes Ridiculous, but They are Also Fathers

When Thor and Loki's majorities arrived, they were both celebrated with great feasts in their honor. Frigga was proud of how much her sons had grown. She missed her little boys, and the days when things had been easier, but she also saw the closeness that had built between them, the silent complicity and intimacy.

True enough, Loki and Thor had their own preoccupations and hobbies. Loki continued his avid studies of magic, and Thor was a warrior through and through, and could often be found sparring with Sif or the Warriors Three. But they were never separated for long, and Frigga's heart glowed at their love.

The weave promised great things for the future.

And still, Asgard remained completely oblivious. It was, quite possibly, Loki's best jest.

Of course, the lie could not last forever. Only two weeks after Loki's birthday, Thor and Sif were summoned in front of the All-Father. Frigga and Loki was also required to be there, as the matter apparently would concern the entire family.

"Mother, do you know what this is all about?" Loki whispered just before they could enter the throne room. He was worried—of course he was. Her little Loki—always so clever, so cunning, but with so much heart.

"I do not," she admitted, patting his hand, "but whatever it is, it will be fine. Remember you can always rely on my support."

Frigga and Loki joined the All-Father in the throne room, and Thor and Sif arrived shortly after that. "Father, you wanted to see us?" Thor asked.

"Yes, indeed, Thor. It has come to my attention that you have found a bride."

Loki went rigid. His fingers flicked with the beginnings of a spell—one to depart the throne room. Frigga grabbed his hand and quickly cast an enchantment of his own to conceal his lapse.

Thor gave Loki a barely perceivable look. He had grown more adept at hiding his true feelings for his brother, but he was still a fundamentally honest person, and he could never quite get it right.

"A bride?" he repeated.

"Yes. Is it not so, Lady Sif? I am told that you and my son have initiated courtship."

Sif's eyes widened and she turned red. "I... All-Father... I..."

She stole a look toward Thor. She wanted it to be true, and she was trying to understand if she had missed the signs.

Unfortunately for her, it was quite false.

"Father, no," Thor said. "Sif is a dear friend. I care for her, as she does for me, and she is my loyal companion in battle. But she will not be my bride."

Everyone—except Thor—noticed Sif's flinch. Poor girl. It was not Thor's fault that his heart was taken and he could not see anyone except his brother. Still, Frigga would have to consult her weave and see where Sif's match truly lay.

The All-Father scowled. "Tyr has reported seeing you and a dark-haired maiden on Alfheim last week, at the Festival of Lovers. I assumed it was the Lady Sif. Is there another?"

Loki's breath caught. Thor's eyes went very wide and he blushed so brightly his color far outmatched that of the Lady Sif.

"Yes..." Thor said weakly. "There is another I have given my heart to, but I cannot yet say... I am sworn to secrecy."

Odin's scowl was dark. "How so? Thor, please tell me you have not fallen for a woman who is already wed."

Loki's shoulders were shaking. Frigga elbowed him, and his silent laughter subsided. He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. "All-Father... If I may..."

"Yes, Loki, do you have some insight in this matter? Do you know who Thor's love is?"

Loki hesitated, for only a brief moment. His eyes flashed with determination and Frigga gave him a brief nod.

It was time. The boys had hidden long enough. They were adults now and could make their own decisions.

"I believe, All-Father, that this is where I confess I have experimenting with shape-shifting once again. Shape-shifting to a gender different from my own."

Sif made a noise that Frigga couldn't hope to interpret. Odin stared at Loki. He had not yet understood.

For one so wise, Odin could often be very blind—and not because of the eye he'd lost during the war with Jotunheim. Maybe it was just willful blindness this time around. No one was quite as good at denial as Odin.

"You went together to Alfheim? Loki, as much as I do not encourage Thor's carelessness in this matter, it is not appropriate for you to act as your brother's chaperone. If you had concerns, you should have come to me or your mother."

Chaperone? Oh dear.

"No, All-Father, you misunderstand," Loki said. "I was not there as Thor's chaperone."

"We were there as a couple," Thor blurted out. "Loki and I. Loki is my love."

For a few seconds, the All-Father said nothing. He simply stared at Thor, as if he was trying to process what his eldest had said.

Then, those moments passed, and Odin's voice echoed heavily around them. "Lady Sif. Out. Now."

Sif wisely fled. The doors of the throne room closed behind her with a decisive band. "Wife?" Odin asked once Sif was gone. "Is there anything you'd like to share about our sons?"

Frigga smiled beatifically. "They are in love, husband. Is it not wonderful?"

"They are in love with one another!" Odin shouted. "This cannot be. They are brothers."

"Well, technically speaking, we are not of the same blood," Loki replied. He was trying to be calm, but Frigga suspected that, deep inside, he was panicking. "Indeed, we aren't even of the same species."

A vein twitched in Odin's temple. "I will not even ask how you know about that. We shall have to discuss it at a different time. But regardless of who might have sired you, you are my son and you are Thor's brother. Or do you deny it?"

"It matters not," Thor replied in Loki's stead, taking a step forward. "Loki is and will always be my brother, yes, but he is also so much more."

"Thor..." The All-Father sounded pained. "You are to be king one day. You need a queen, heirs."

"Actually..." Loki piped up. "About that..."

Something in Loki's tone put Frigga on alert. "No! Already?" Frigga smiled widely and gripped Loki's hands in her own. "My weave did tell me that there was a chance, but I did not expect it to be so soon."

At the back of her mind, a voice was squealing, "Babies! Grandchildren! Babies! Beautiful babies!"

"When?" she gasped out.

"Probably at the festival." Loki's answering smile was tentative and shy. "I'm not certain just yet. It could be... nothing."

But Frigga knew it was not, because Loki wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise.

The sound of Mjolnir dropping made Frigga release Loki's hands and take a step back. Thor took her place by Loki's side. "Loki... You are with child?"

Loki nodded. "I think so, yes. You are... pleased?"

In response, Thor just kissed Loki. Frigga mentally did a happy dance. Oh, this was turning out so much better than she had expected.

Odin let out a small very unkingly sob. Frigga smiled at him. "There, there, husband. You know how it is. We cannot get in the way of love."

"Frigga," he said weakly. "I fear the Odinsleep is upon me. Your sons have managed what Surtur himself has not. To fell me."

"Oh, do not be so dramatic. You will be fine." Frigga tsked. "We will have to hasten Thor's coronation perhaps, and marry them swifter than I anticipated. We cannot have our first grandchild be born out of wedlock."

"Yes, wife. Indeed, we cannot." Odin supported himself heavily on Gungnir. "Very well, my sons. You shall have it your way. But note that given the circumstances, it would be advisable to notify Asgard of Loki's true parentage."

At one point during the conversation between Frigga and Odin, Loki and Thor had stopped kissing, but they were still holding on to one another.

"I am prepared for that," Loki replied bravely. And he was, the little dear. For all that Thor was usually the more demonstrative one, Loki loved Thor just as much as Thor did him.

"It need not be an excessive display," Frigga reassured him. "As Odin has said, you are still his son and mine, and still the prince of Asgard. But the matter will still have to be discussed with Laufey."

"I will handle it," Odin grumbled. "Norns... You two will be the death of me."

Loki and Thor shared a sheepish look, and Odin scoffed. "Do not look regretful. I do not believe it for a moment. Now, run along, before I change my mind and banish you both to Midgard."

Loki grabbed Thor's hand and teleported them out of the room. Undoubtedly, they would be going to celebrate. Frigga suspected they would be ensconced in Loki's chambers for the next two days.

She smiled at Odin. "It is all well, husband. They will make fine leaders. Loki's wisdom balances Thor's recklessness and Thor's warmth anchors Loki's more ruthless side. They are a good match, and they will be wonderful parents."

"Well then... That is as much as any parent can expect, really." He hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps this is a good thing. I look forward to giving Thor the throne and playing with my grandchildren."

His expression had softened, and Frigga knew everything would be all right.

The meeting with Laufey went about as well as Frigga would have expected it to go. There was a lot of ranting—Laufey complaining about Odin having apparently interrupted an ancient Jotun rite which involved testing children against the cold Jotunheim winters, Odin shouting that Laufey had no right to complain since Loki was his son now.

In the end, Odin said he would return the Casket to Laufey as long as Laufey acknowledged Loki as a prince of both Asgard and Jotunheim. Loki would officially remain Odinson—Odin refused to budge on that point—but he would have the Jotun-related title as well.

As for Frigga, she insisted that Loki needed to understand a little more about his birth family. She had done her best to educate him on the matter since she'd first told him the truth, but that was not the same as actually making contact with the Jotnar people and their culture.

Once the Casket was on the table, Laufey agreed to everything very quickly.

Back on Asgard, Frigga asked Odin about his decision to give back the Casket. She didn't question its wisdom—she also believed it had been the right thing to do—but she wondered about his train of thought.

"I was going to return it anyway," Odin explained. "I can't have Jotunheim fall apart completely. It's still part of the nine realms." He shrugged. "But Laufey doesn't know that."

The announcement of the wedding between the two princes threw Asgard into chaos. Loki and Thor fled to parts unknown as that news—and the truth about his adoption—came out. Frigga let them be, since Loki still came to their usual breakfasts and they had time to discuss the details of the wedding. Thor came too, and while he was completely hopeless in matters of the decorations that would be needed, he never tore himself away from Loki's side. Half the time, his hand rested possessively on Loki's belly.

Later, Frigga would learn that during their absence, Thor and Loki had often visited Jotunheim and Thor had behaved in a similar manner in front of King Laufey. It was a little adorable. Even the Jotnar agreed.

The day of the coronation, Frigga took position in front of Hlidskjalf. A huge crowd had gathered in the throne room, not only Aesir, but also delegations from other realms, Alfheim, Nidavellir, Vanaheim—and of course, Jotunheim. Laufey himself had come, together with his other two sons, Helbindi—the future king of Jotunheim—and Byleistr. But Frigga only had eyes for Loki and Thor, who were standing in front of her, decked in their celebratory armor. Her voice shook slightly when she declared them wed, her heart clenching with love for her beautiful sons. And then she watched them both swear an oath to protect the nine realms, as king and king-consort, and it was everything Frigga had hoped for when she had taken the tiny Jotun babe in her arms, all those years ago.

Of course, that was when Loki blinked and swayed slightly. Thor caught him before he could hit the ground, but his expression showed naked fear. "Loki... Is it the babe?"

Thor had many qualities, and his secret relationship with Loki had made him more discreet. But he was still the God of Thunder, and he was just as loud as ever.

His voice echoed through the throne room—and he was completely oblivious. "Are you well?" he asked, his eyes solely on Loki.

And that was how Asgard—and a few other realms on top of it—learned that Loki had married pregnant. Oh, well. At least now Frigga could get started on the nursery.