No one would say anything to him. Over a fortnight ago, Thor had gone to wake his little brother up for breakfast only find that there was no sign of him. His parents assured him that the boy had probably gone off reading by himself intending to not be bothered.

This felt different though. Loki was always quiet and humble, preferring to be by himself, but it never stopped him from following his older brother wherever he went. No matter what, Thor had always had his shadow, even when he didn't realize it.

Now there was no shadow with its object, and Thor was left alone. As the days passed, Thor had asked time and time again why no one would explain anything.

Slowly anger morphed into extreme fear that he had failed the one task that he had sworn to before he could even remember.

He didn't protect his little brother.

Thor sat on Loki's bed in their chambers. Even though Thor was already old enough to spar and carry weapons, his brother was to stay with him at night. Many times during the night, Loki would awaken, screaming, still haunted by his many nightmares. At times like these, Thor was grateful to be so close to him so that he could do something before Loki could hurt himself. After a night spent camping in the woods with his friends, Thor returned home to find his brother in the healing rooms with a head injury caused by thrashing in his nightmare.

Everything had been so silent after Loki's disappearance, and although Thor was able to sleep through the night without interruptions, he never could. He almost missed being startled awake by his brother's screams because deep down, the comfort of having Loki next to him made him feel safe.

A soft knock came at the door.

"Thor?" Frigga slowly entered the room, eyes fixed on her son. Her expression was sad and sorrowful.

Thor found himself suddenly panicking at his mothers appearance. Thoughts raced through his head that something had finally happened.

"What is it, mother? What has happened?"

Frigga's sadness only grew upon hearing her son's anxious voice. This hadn't been easy for him, she knew, but everything had been kept from him to lessen his worrying.

"Nothing, son. I only came to talk to you. You deserve answers, and I no longer care if your father thinks it better if you do not know." Frigga smiled sadly at her son, and sat next to him on Loki's bed.

"It's Loki, isn't it?" Thor already knew the answer, but for some reason he still wanted to believe that maybe his brother was still safe.

Frigga nodded. "Yes. Like I said, I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore, so I am just going to say it planly. Loki is missing. I think you already know that, but we do know where he is. At first we thought that something upset him, making him run off, but we later found out from Heimdall that he was taken. Your father and I were even more shocked to hear that a group of men working for Tyr were responsible. For so long we believed Tyr to be loyal to the House of Odin, which is why he was Head Guardsmen. We now know our judgement was either false, or time had falsified it. Unfortunately, we still don't know the motives behind Tyr taking your brother, but I can say that your father will be taking his leave very soon. All of this has been terrifying for me as a mother, and I'm sure its been no less for you not knowing. I am sorry, my son for keeping you in the dark for so long, but I hope you can understand. We mustn't worry for much longer now that your father will return Loki to us. Let us pray he is safe, and we can return to being a family as soon as possible."

Tears welled in the queen's eyes as she reacted out and grabbed her son's hand.

Thor was speechless. How was he supposed to react after being told that his brother had been kidnapped by the very man who taught him how to fight and spar?

None of it mattered though.

He had failed his little brother, and now he was paying the price for his stupidity.

"I'm sorry," Thor whispered weakly. He turned his gaze over to the wooden horse sitting on the stand next to the bed. Three years ago, on Loki's name day, Thor had ventured to Midgard with his father. Upon returning, Thor had brought back the mortal item for his gift.

"Thor, listen to me" Frigga's stern voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked back to his mother. "You have done nothing wrong. Do you understand me? I know you swore to protect your brother, but even your father and I can't keep you both from harm forever. We shall take this event and learn from our mistakes. Please, don't blame yourself. That is all I ask." Frigga never dropped her gaze from him. Long seconds passed until Thor finally gave a single nod before averting his gaze again.

Frigga then leaned forward and enveloped her son in an embrace. Immediately, Thor returned the hug. Amongst everything, Thor hated the way his mother was so openly emotional now. Ever since Loki was taken, she had a sheen of anguish on her face, and many meals ended with her leaving all of a sudden on the brink of tears.

Everyone in Asgard knew how much the queen loved her children, and no one would dare come across her in any way.

Thor almost feared for what would happen to Tyr when his father got to him.

/

"Frigga? We are almost ready."

Frigga looked at her husband with a wide smile.

"I trust that you will bring my son back. Let's not waste time saying our goodbyes. I cannot bear to be without my son of much longer." Frigga spoke with excitement. Odin grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I shall return" With that, the king gathered the remaining guards and ventured to the woods of Asgard.

Odin couldn't help but feel the pang of excitement course through him. After three long weeks of intense planning, everything was finally ready to restore his family.

Hours passed by in silence as the Allfather and his group of Einherjar rode through the forest. Tyr was held up in an underground tunnel used for training warriors. The site was a labyrinth of long tunnels and scattered rooms stretching over a fifteen mile radius, making it the perfect place to hide. Finding Tyr and Loki was going to be no easy task, and would surely take hours of looking.

"My king, we have arrived," an Einherjar stated.

Odin looked at the solid stone door in the side of the large hill front. He had been so ready for all of this to end, but something now was telling him that he wasn't. Remembering Frigga's warning about their son, the king found himself scared of what he would find inside the maze.

Slowly, Odin dismounted his horse and walked to the door. Two Einherjar stepped forward and worked the door open by the handle.

It was dark. Pitch black, as if there was just a wall and nothing past it.

"Gi meg lys." Odin brought Gungnir down upon the ground, immediately creating a large ball of light in front of him.

"Men! Always be alert within these tunnels. We don't know how many men Tyr has with him, so always prepare for anything. Unless under complete necessary circumstances, you shall not kill a single person. Is there any confusion with my orders?" the king commanded.

"Sir, if we do come across the young prince, what shall we do?" a guard asked.

"You shall not touch him in any way. You will protect him from any hostile forces until I arrive. Then I shall tell you what to do. Am I clear?" Odin was stiff and on edge, but his voice was strong and powerful. That of a king.

"Yes sir."

"Then there is no more time to waste. I want my son." Odin said as he turned to face the entrance. Behind him, his guards dismounted their horses and grouped behind their king.

When we get Loki back, he is going to need us more than ever.

...Loki is going to be different for a while. More vulnerable...

If we fail, Odin, I can't bear to lose the very child I swore to protect as my own.

Frigga's words rang through his head, but without a word, Odin stepped towards the darkness and into the tunnels.

Author's Note: Thank you all for reviewing my story, and if you haven't please do. It would be much appreciated :)