Hey All!

Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Many thanks to my darling friend Victoria for editing this monster for me.

Have fun! (And review please, feedback is much appreciated!)

Loki reached out to the Casket, hoping that what he'd felt on Jotunheim, what he'd seen on Jotunheim had been a lie. When the shock of blue spread up from his fingertips at the touch of the Casket, his greatest fear had been confirmed. Monster…

"Stop!" He held fast to the Casket, turning to face that who he had always thought his father. The dismay he felt was etched in his face.

"Am I cursed?"

"No, put the Casket down." Setting the Casket back on its stand. Loki watched the blue disappear from his hand. He turned to face Odin again, all the questions racing through his mind.

"What am I?"

"You're my son."

"What more than that?" He watched Odin carefully. In that instant, he seemed much older than he had before. A certain weariness wracked his frame, an ancientness Loki had not seen before. He would get his answers. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

"No." Odin stared at him, sadness in his eyes. Regret. All pretenses were lost. "In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the Temple, and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring - abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

Loki was staggered by this information. Laufey's son? That monster was my father. Monster!

"Laufey's son…" He felt as though all his had been a lie, the weight of the fallacies threatened to drive him mad. "Why? You were knee deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me?"

"You were an innocent child." The man who had pretended to be his father was not one for compassion. This much Loki knew. The bastard had taken him for his own reasons.

"You took me for a purpose. What was it?" He would get his answers now.

Odin looked away, pausing a moment. Loki's anger bubbled to the surface, the weight of all the lies cracking his now delicate façade. "Tell me!"

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you. But those plans no longer matter." It all made sense now. He was a prize won, something to be used as a bargaining chip later.

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?"

It was a cold fury that spread through Loki. "You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?"

"You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

Loki was awash with sadness, with anger, with confusion. "Because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"Don't…"

"It all makes sense now. Why you favored Thor all these years." He could laugh, he felt the insane laughter stirring inside.

"Listen…" Odin looked tired, haggard. The years of lies had taken a toll on the old man.

"Because no matter how much you claim to "love" me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the Throne of Asgard!" The fury overwhelmed Loki, his hands shook as he closed in on Odin. The lifetime of deceit would be paid in full now.

"Listen to me, Loki!"

He had surrounded Odin. But something was off, Odin moved slowly, as if through honey. His age besieged him, the trying times and the loss of his son had affected him deeply. Loki watched the man he had called his father fall back, overcome by the Odinsleep. Loki paused a moment, letting it all wash over him. In that instant, he collected himself. Enough to put back some of his mask. Then the sadness came, and he tried to push it away.

"Guards!"

After his last visit, Elvi found herself missing Loki rather than avoiding him. It had been a week since that day, without any sign of him. She had taken to pacing aimlessly about her garden, hoping to clear her mind. Without Humla, she felt completely alone. She would turn to Sif, but the week had been a busy one for her as well. Sif had been caught up in the coronation's planning, then, when the thing had ended so very poorly, she was wrapped up with Thor's business.

It was surprising that the coronation had only been the morning before. That was the first time she'd seen Loki in a week's time. He looked positively elegant ushering his dear mother into the hall. When the Allfather had rushed out in pursuit of the supposed Frost Giants, Elvi was sure she was the only one watching Loki. What she had not missed was the devilish smile he quickly suppressed. He had gotten exactly what he wanted: Thor would not ascend to the throne this day. In the madness that followed the King and Princes' rushed exits, Elvi had gone home.

All alone and left to her own thoughts, Elvi had watched the day turn to night in the garden, gingerly caring for her mother's flowers. It was the only thing that let her relax, to turn away from her thoughts. She was ignoring the part of her that wished for the prince's presence.

She spent the next day training her hardest. If it had been Frost Giants, then the Einherjar would need to step up their forces. Elvi felt new vigor as she practiced with her short sword. It would be easier to practice with a sparring partner, but without Sif, she would never reach out. It was moments like this that made her long for her childhood with Raum. In their youth, they had been close as any siblings. They play-fought, explored together. Certainly they got into their fair share of trouble together as well. It was a weight in her heart that their relationship had turned into this awful distaste. She hated him for what he would not allow her to do, the same as their father. He hated her because she represented everything a woman should not be. Shaking this feeling, she returned to her swordplay, attempting to exhaust herself.

As the hours ticked on, she ventured back into her humble home.

The door burst open and a very frazzled looking Loki strode inside.

"I knew you would come. " His wide-eyed stare was nearly terrifying. He watched her intently, rubbing at his right arm.

"I did. You got what you wanted and you've come here to, what, gloat?"

"We went to Jotunheim."

"You did what? Does the Allfather know? By the Gods, Loki, how could you? Is that not treason?"

"He is aware." Loki had nearly slipped back into his cool demeanor, but his eyes were still wild. "Thor is… Thor is banished."

She felt her jaw drop. "The Prince of Asgard is banished by your own hand. Is that what it takes to make you happy?"

Some things snapped in him. "What, Elvi? Do you think this is what I intended? I did not want Thor made king, but I did not want him banished either."

"Do not lie to me! I'm sick of it! How else did you intend to take the throne for yourself, hm? Did you think Odin would suddenly change his mind?"

In the brief moment she spoke he had crossed the room and was mere inches from her.

"You truly presume to know me, don't you little Elvi? You think because I've come to you that you can talk to your prince in such a manor? Your arrogance is astounding. You're just a commoner with a bit of magic, one I tricked into sharing her 'darkest secret'. But then, I didn't really trick you, not really. No, you selfish little girl, you showed me, you showed the Warriors Three, your darling friend Sif, and my damned brother because you wanted the role of Einherjar and you thought that we might help if you managed to prove yourself. You may presume to know me, but I do know you." The disgust in his voice was palpable.

Taken aback, Elvi could hardly find her voice. "I…" She blinked stupidly at him. "You can't speak to me like that."

"Why, because we're friends? Little Elvi, you are so very wrong."

"I do know you!" She could get in his face just as much. "I do! And you're only acting like this because your plan went perfectly and you hate it! You feel guilty and happy and you're not complicated enough to handle more than one emotion at a time and that one emotion is just cruel!"

He snapped and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into him. "Fine, if you know me so well, here!"

He locked eyes with her, an eerie calmness to his actions. His pallor grayed and deepened, blue blossomed across his features, and Elvi had to bite her lip to stop from crying out. Loki was no longer the handsome Asgardian she knew. He was something else, something from the stories she'd been told as a child. A Frost Giant, all blue and cold. He searched her face with the alarming red eyes, brow furrowed. She shivered from his cold touch, and he pulled back.

"You think to know me so well, this is…who I really am."

She shrank back from him, pressed against a wall. Her magic may have been a surprise, but this illusion was beyond her.

"Loki, why do you play at this? You are Frigga and the Allfather's son, no doubt."

"No. They are not my parents! Laufey is. I am the monster you see before you. Anything else is my-Odin's illusion. He stole me, that day, from Jotun. A bloody trophy to add to the collection, a pawn to be used to maintain peace. " He grabbed her again, pulling her close. "With Thor gone, and Odin's sleep, I am ruler now, dear Elvi."

"You-you're hurting me, Loki! Let go!" She pushed against him, managing to move him some. He released her. He barked a cruel laugh in her face.

"You run from me because I'm the monster you see before you? Do not make me laugh, Little Elvi. You and I are hardly different. Do you want to know your ancestry, your family's dark secret for all these years?"

Elvi wanted to cover her ears, to go back to last week. She could scream at him, she should scream at him. But her voice had left her. In the worst way possible, she would learn the secret she had worked to keep hidden.

He laughed again. "You are a dark elf, at least in part. Born of eternal night, the dark elves come to steal away the light. You're a monster, just the same as I am." She slumped against him, the breath leaving her in a whush. "That is the reason your magic eluded me: it's in your blood."

"You're… you're lying. You just want me as miserable as you. I won't stand for it." Even to her own ears, she sounded hardly convinced. What she wanted to ask was how far back did this run, who was the dark elf in her family? What she wanted to do was run and hide and never come back to Asgard. She had apparently shamed her family enough with her dreams, what would happen if their lineage came to light?

She remained pressed to Loki, using him as a means of physical support. If he stepped away now, she would surely fall. Despite his anger, he did an uncharacteristically comforting thing: he stroked her head and held it close. Despite her shock, she felt some calmness return to her.

It was then the laughter bubbled up in her; it verged on manic. Loki grabbed her arms and pulled her from him, sizing her up. The laughter did not end. What a picture they painted! The monsters from childhood stories together, practically hugging! The puzzled concern that painted his features brought her back from the edge.

"A frost giant and a dark elf embracing. What an idea." She looked up to Loki, searching his eyes. She was surprised at the small smile that played at his lips, but it was quickly replaced with the serious mask he had worn during their last visit.

"Odin has fallen to Odinsleep."

Another shock. "You said it was to be soon, but after Thor's coronation. Without Thor who has…" Realization dawned on her. "Loki, no."

"You are speaking to your king, yes, Little Elvi."

She gaped, stepping back and straightening up, holding the end of her plait. She forced her mouth closed. "King… then you really have gotten what you wanted. You removed Thor knowing you would have the crown fall to you when the Odinsleep came."

"I was promised a throne, and now I have one."

"You do not believe that, do you? In time, Odin will awaken and retake the throne."

"Perhaps, but Frigga is worried; this time…this time it overcame him suddenly and this has been a trying time."

Something occurred to her then. "You can end Thor's banishment!" He stared at her a moment, face taught with unspoken anger. She considered him a moment. "But you won't, will you? You will leave your brother on Midgard to suffer a mortal life all because you fancy the throne."

"He is not my brother!" Loki's anger exploded from him. "And I am your king! You will not speak to me like this!"

"Then I will not speak with you at all." He was taken aback, and stared at the woman he had manipulated into giving away her secrets. She was willing to stand up to him. He bared his teeth in a way that no one would confuse for a smile.

"If that is your wish, Little Elvi. I would watch how I acted for fear of my family's secret shame." And he turned on his heel.

Elvi slid to the ground and pressed her head to her knees, suddenly overcome with the desire to disappear.

Just after the break of day, Sif found herself at Elvi's small house. Her dearest friend seemed quieter than her normal self, but this shift in attitude was understandable. The loss of Thor to Midgard was felt throughout Asgard. There was a somberness now that permeated the land. Sif felt full of vim and vigor: she was here to take Elvi along with the Warrior's Three to plead for Thor's return. Sif knew, in her heart of hearts, that they would convince Odin Allfather. They would claim fault as well, lessening the burden on Thor. Bringing Elvi, someone who knew Thor but had not been to Jotunheim, would aid them. She would speak as an outsider on his behalf. Sif felt a bit giddy at the prospect of winning Thor's return.

As they approached the main hall, Elvi seemed more jittery than usual, but Sif understood facing the Allfather could be quite alarming. The man was nothing if not commanding. As they strode towards the throne, heads bowed, Sif felt her confidence soar. They could and would manage this. It would be her greatest victory yet.

"Allfather, we must speak with you…" As she lifted her head, the words caught in her throat. Loki sat on the throne, his horned helmet adorning his head. The lazy smugness that surrounded him was nearly palpable. Volstagg was the first to find his voice.

"What is this?

"My friends… you haven't heard? I am now ruler of Asgard." His eyes bore into Elvi's head, which remained bowed in deference.

"Where is Odin?" Fandral had barely hidden the accusatory tone to his voice.

"Father's fallen into the Odinsleep. My mother fears he may never awaken again."

Sif knew better than to trust to God of Mischief with the truth. "We would speak with her." She shared a knowing look with the Warrior's Three.

"She has refused to leave my father's bedside. You can bring your "urgent" matter to me, your King."

Sif looked him dead in the eyes. "We would ask you to end Thor's banishment."

"My first command can not be to undo the Allfather's last. We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people must have a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times."

Again, Sif looked to the Warrior's Three for support. They all knew Loki could not be trusted, even if he was to be their king. Elvi had kept her head down the entire time. Sif nearly smiled; good deference was the mark of a good Einherjar. The woman really held fast to her dreams.

"All of us must stand together, for the good of Asgard." Loki regarded them coolly as he spoke; Sif sensed his mistrust.

"Of course." They all knelt before their new king; Sif did not miss the smile on Loki's face.