Odin had spoken to his family. Now they were all sitting in their separate rooms, grieving in their own ways. Frigga had burst into tears when Odin had explained that Loki had been left on Jotunheim as a boon for peace, even though he'd left out most of the details. Thor had refused to look at his father, his face unreadable. The Allfather had tried to explain the importance of the deal, and how it marked a new beginning for both realms – one of peace and potential alliance. After all, Loki was Laufey's son, and he would have to have returned at some point.
Two days after their return, the Warriors Three and Sif still hadn't seen Thor come out of his room. Neither had they seen his mother, but that was not surprising. Frigga had always adored Loki, for his quietness and eagerness to listen and observe – he had a calming presence in contrast to Thor's boisterous bragging and Odin's kingly might. At least, he did to those he liked – Sif had never felt relaxed in his presence, but that was because of the mutual hatred they shared for each other.
It had begun in that fragile time of adolescence, when Sif had started to notice Thor in a way that was more than just friendly. She'd always admired him, had aspired to be a decent rival, even if she could never quite equal him; it had been what had started her off training to be a warrior, and had created her friendship with Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun. But since she'd turned fifteen, she had started to have feelings for Thor which were a little more than plain friendship.
That had begun her and Loki's enmity – they hadn't really got on before, but they'd been able to tolerate each other, both able to use courtesy, for Thor's sake. Loki was sharp though, never missed a thing, and although she tried to keep her feelings secret until she was ready to express them, Loki noticed within days. At first she thought she'd just done something to upset him, and whatever it was it would die down in a few days. Except it didn't. Days became weeks, weeks months, until one day he brushed past her on her way to the library and he'd hissed "He doesn't want you."
It stung more than it should, and at first she brushed it off as a passing thing, but it continued to gnaw away at her subconsciously until she became convinced it was true. All the special glances, occasional brushes of the arm, inside jokes that she'd begun to share with Thor, that had made her feel like the most special person in his world, started to vanish. Sif felt like nothing in Thor's eyes, like if he had liked her, Loki's words had persuaded him otherwise, and even though all those little things were still there she could no longer see them.
She had then tried even harder to impress him, and especially when Loki wasn't around, but it seemed hopeless. If there had ever been anything, she'd single-handedly managed to kill it by deluding herself. And if Loki's remark had been made in innocent trickery before, it certainly had a deeper meaning now.
"This is ridiculous. It's completely unlike Thor to behave in such a way. If he doesn't get over himself soon he'll be reduced to a blubbering mess in a matter of weeks!" Fandral stood up from the table where the four friends were taking lunch. "I'm going to talk to him."
"Fandral, don't! You don't know what's going through his head. Tonight there is a council concerning trade with Alfheim. He will have to go to that – there is a feast following, how could he refuse? We'll talk to him after that," Hogun reasoned. He saw Fandral's point, but was also concerned for Thor in a way the others couldn't understand. He had seen the expression on the big man's face whilst he had explained what was happening the day of the battle. He knew what Thor was going through.
The meeting was held in one of the smaller halls – it was a minimal issue, and so only required the main council members. Odin was sitting at the head of the table, Frigga beside him. To Odin's right sat Thor, reluctant to be there despite the imminent feast. Groa the healer was on Thor's other side, and then further round were a few more people, mostly advisors to the king. Next to Frigga was an empty seat, and then Hogun to represent the warriors of Asgard.
"Today's council concerns trade between Asgard and Alfheim. The Elves have been requesting we start trading iron with them again, because there was a recent accident in one of their most important mines. Our iron supplies are plentiful, but if we wish to start up this deal we will be in need of more in a few months time. Any suggestions?"
One of the advisors stood up. "I suggest we refuse them. Iron is important to us, and we may have surplus now, but I don't trust all our suppliers on Svartalfheim."
"Why are the Elves looking to us for this? They know most of our iron is imported! Surely they would ask those who supply to us instead?" another council member said.
"The Elves trust us, and not our suppliers. They know we have the forces to get tough with our traders, but they don't. It's also an opportunity for profits," Groa added.
Thor tuned out after that, wishing he could just be left alone with his thoughts. The discussion around him faded into a background buzz as he cast a look over to his mother. She'd stayed silent during the debate too, one hand gripping the arm of her seat so tightly her knuckles had turned an odd shade of white. His gaze wandered to the empty seat next to her, and he felt a pang of guilt rise up again, causing his own fists to clench.
"...We could make trade with Jotunheim..." Thor's head shot up. Now he was interested.
"What do you mean? You know there are tensions between Asgard and Jotunheim," Odin said.
"Well, I just thought, seeing as some kind of peace deal had been made...and you said...potential alliance? Trade could be the first steps towards that...if you follow my gist, my lord," the speaker spluttered out, aware all the eyes in the room were on him.
There was a loud scrape as Thor stood up, slamming his hands down on the table. He turned and stormed out of the room, ignoring Odin's angry objections. He couldn't just sit there and listen to them refer to Loki's capture as a peace deal. Frigga swept out, following her son as fast as she could while he made his way to his bedroom.
"Thor. Thor stop, please," she called.
He wanted to keep going, but this was his mother, and he couldn't just ignore her, not when she was the only other person who seemed to be hurting as much as he was.
"I'm sorry, Mother. But I cannot just listen to them talk about him like he was a piece of dirt. Like he was just a tool to gain them some peace at last. I can't."
"Your father was only trying to do what was right–"
"My father knew what was going on all along! It would not surprise me if he took Loki in originally so he could use him as some way of uniting our realms in the end."
"Thor..." Frigga reached out a hand to him, stumbling. He caught her and picked her up, carrying him to her room. "You are not the only one who is hurting over this. I think they all are, Odin no less than anyone. But you have to understand, however raw it feels, however angry you are, Loki isn't coming back, and you need to move on."
"I do not want to move on. I do not want to carry on without him."
"Neither do I, Thor, but I must. I know that of everyone on Asgard, we are suffering the most because of this, but we need to accept it for what it is, and try to carry on. I am his mother, and he is my little boy still, just like you are, and it is a terrible pain to bear, for a mother to lose her child.
"So how about we make a deal? I will try to move on, and so will you, and if it gets too much, you know you can always talk to me about it. Do I have your word?"
Thor hesitated, uncertain of whether he wanted to commit to what Frigga was asking of him. Slowly, he moved over to give her a hug, brushing away the tear he could see escaping down her cheek. "You have my word."