Chapter 4

I was kept a secret for some more months. All the while, more and more memories were coming back to me. I remembered my days in Asgard, and as an outcast, Mimir's teachings, my adventures with Thor, my partners in crime and my more elaborate pranks. I remembered my children, and my wifes, Angerboda and Sigyn. Also, to my greatest relief, I remembered my spells, and every single piece of sorcery I had ever used. The disadvantage of it all was that I couldn't cast anything, since I couldn't speak properly yet. However I noticed that most of my basic abilities where developing rather quickly for a toddler. By the third week in the palace I could stand on my feet without wobbling, and my eyesight was becoming less blurry by the day. I even tried to speak sometimes, but the result was a few incoherent noises and a searing pain in the throat. Obviously my vocal cords weren't exactly up to the extraordinary task of talking just yet. But I was working on that.

By the end of the forth month Fryga decided it was high time she presented me to Asgard's court. She also believed my "brothers" should meet me properly, as the new addition to their family. Truth be told, I missed Thor. I missed what we had, before Odin's and Asgard's prejudices drove him away from me. So, when one day Fulla, Fryga's maid, came by my crib with a set of new clothes, I let her dress me without too much fuss. Although I had quite some fun discreetly taking off whatever piece of clothing she had just finished dressing me in. Poor woman, at some point I think she was ready to cry. Some people are just too easy to break.

When Fulla finished dressing me, or rather when I took enough pity of her to let her dress me, I was ready to be presented to the people of Asgard. With a sigh of relief, the woman stood up and took me in her arms to deliver me to Fryga. We passed through the maze that was the royal chambers to the gardens, and then towards the entrance behind the Great Hall. Upon our entrance I heard Odin's booming voice sounding over anyone else's in the room:

"Warriors of Asgard."

All of a sudden there was silence. Fulla settled behind one of the secondary doors that led behind the throne. Soon Odin started talking again, this time thanking his warriors, his friends and allies, and congratulating everyone on their glorious victory against the Jotuns. I paid no heed to what he was saying, for I was likely to get upset, and we wouldn't want that now, would we? So I waited. And waited. At some point I noticed that Fulla was changing the balance of her body from the one foot to the other. Obviously, she hadn't expected this long a wait, and she was anxious to rid herself of her burden. She was bored. I was bored. Had I had my powers, I would try to change the color of her dress from brown-gray-ish to bright yellow, or the color of my baby attire from white and gold to green. Alas, none of that was possible, so we would wait.

Not a few minutes had passed, when the door behind which we were standing opened, and Fryga showed up. She took me in her embrace, thanked Fulla and turned around to reenter the room. Fulla bowed respectfully and walked away, trying to get to her other duties as quickly as possible.

We entered from the right side of the room, to the left of the All Father. It seemed like the All Father had already announced my arrival, because when Fryga walked up the stairs to the throne, all eyes fell on us. Next to the All Father on his right was standing a small boy, no older than five, staring at his father in awe. His blond hair and bright blue eyes were hard to miss, while his fallen jaw presented a sight that I had often faced in my past life, after some of my most complex comments. My idiot of a brother, Thor.

When Fryga moved closer, Thor changed his center of focus from his father to me. His eyes sparkled with a wonderment which I had long ago forgotten could be there. I suppose though for a boy of his age to be suddenly told he would become a big brother for the second time it was big news. And knowing Thor, he had already thought of many ways that he would be responsible for me. He was the eldest, he should watch out for his younger siblings. Suddenly, I felt a rush of happiness pass through me. This was Thor. He may be all he was the last time, but here and now he was free of any thoughts that would turn him against me. I had another chance! Of course I knew that, I had realized things could go differently this time, but never before had I felt this immense hope that I could find happiness. My baby form expressed these thoughts with a gurgling sound, a laugh and my tiny little body leaning from Fryga's embrace to Thor with my hands wide open. Thor's smile reached his ears, one could only imagine the satisfaction he was feeling. He raised his hands towards me and after he gave a questioning look to his mother, asking her permission, he took me from Fryga's arms and held me as he had seen other adults do. The moment the exchange was over, and I was secured in Thor's embrace, a great "Oooow" echoed from all the mouths in the hall. I couldn't care less for their mushy thoughts.

All the while Odin watched his son. But all the more, he was watching my reactions. One would think he found it strange how receptive I was to his young son, and now my brother, but if he did, he didn't show. He just patted Thor calmly on the shoulder, an appreciative gesture, and then he stood from his throne, and turned to the crowd.

"Let it be known, that from this day forth, Asgard has another worthy prince. His name is Loki, and he is my son. I ask you, my friends, to respect and protect him as you do me and my family. And in turn, when he grows off age, he shall repay you in kind by holding Asgard strong, and protecting its citizens."

Odin then turned towards me and Thor, and nodded to his son to approach. Thor held me as comfortably as he could, and moved forward towards his father. Odin made no attempt to take me, instead he looked at me as if asking for my consent. To say that I was surprised was an understatement. It was true that in all these months I had been in the palace, not once had I allowed him to hold me. It wasn't the result of some complex feeling, I was merely doing it out of spite. Then again, he had never asked for my permission before. When I kept looking at him straight in the eye, without moving, Odin took it as a temporary truce, and attempted to hold me. His large hands grasped me as steadily as he could manage, and held me eye-level in front of him. Then, to my greater surprise, he whispered:

"Welcome home, son."

And suddenly, I started sobbing. Not the way babies did, the way grown men with repressed bitterness and anger and daddy issues did. Quietly, without moving, without a sound, with tears streaming down my cheeks. For I knew, at that moment, all I ever wanted to hear, from the time I left Asgard and even before that, was something among these lines. To be accepted unconditionally by the one and only father I ever had. Odin looked as if he could sense my grief, because he move me closer to his chest and held me like he never had before.

Someone in the back of the hall lifted their goblet and shouted: "Hail Loki Odinson!"

And then every glass in the hall was lifted, and everyone said in unison: "To Loki."

A greater gift no god could ever ask.

For the record, Balder wasn't here because I figured he was a junior to Loki, and was born about six months before the events of this chapter. Which would make him two, or three months younger than Loki, and therefore unable to attend such a grand event.

Also, many thanks to all you wonderful people that reviewed my previous chapters, and thumbs up to all who will review this and the chapters to come. If anything, reviews give me a chance to thank you personally by mentioning you here and/or replying to your questions.

To Ellie: We shall see ;)

To quoththeraven5: Thank you very much! And not to worry, I'm not giving up on this story just yet.