A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back. Sorry for the delay with this one, but I had to come up with a different version of the myth (in this one, they get back at the giants instead of slinking away), and I ran into a nasty case of writer's block after the first segment. Action scenes are really hard for me to write, and this proved a difficult nut to crack. Four days! That's far too long, and I'm really sorry... Hopefully the brotherly fluff will make up for any inconvenience.
Thanks to MacMhuirich, HawkPeregrin, Megsy0, and RTVampireKilljoy for your reviews. You all rock.
"Brother! Come with me!" Loki glanced up from the sapling he was causing to sprout.
"Go away. I'm in the middle of something, if you didn't notice." Thor shook his head.
"We're going to Jotunheim. I need someone to come with me!" Loki cut off the flow of magic from his fingertips, and turned around to face his brother.
"This can only end in disaster." He said. Thor looked hurt.
"Don't be such a wet blanket! Where's your sense of adventure?" Loki set about clearing off his desk.
"It ran away with your sense of self-preservation, and I haven't seen it since." Thor let out a booming laugh. Loki scowled.
"No adventures today, Thor. Now, get out of my way!" He snarled as he brushed past with an armful of scrolls. Thor looked hurt.
"But I need someone to come along."
"Take Sif. She's been restless lately; surely she would be up for a quick jaunt across the Bifrost?" Thor wrinkled his nose.
"She's busy today with the trials. She can't." Loki pulled out a drawer and dropped the old parchment into it. He slammed it shut and whirled back around, almost knocking Thor over.
"Then take Fandral or Hogan. Like I said, I'm busy. I need to go make sure that Sleipnir is fed and groomed, I need to go see Fenrir, and I have a practice session with Sigyn. My schedule is full." He went towards the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. Thor followed on his heels.
"Fandral and Hogan are on their own mission. You're the only one I trust besides them. Please?" Loki stopped, releasing a terse sigh.
"Fine." He muttered through clenched teeth. "But let it be known that I did not approve of this." Thor grinned.
"Thank you! Now let's go."
They arrived in Jotunheim with almost no trouble. They came to the gates of one of the strongholds. There was no one there. Odd.
"Who among the Aesir dares to walk into my domain, unchallenged?" A gravelly voice rang out across the courtyard. Thor and Loki froze mid-step, startled.
"We are two weary travelers, seeking shelter for the night." Loki called back, hoping that there would be no trouble. A rough laugh was his answer.
"Don't try to lie to me, trickster. I know who you are, and your companion. The mighty sons of Odin. Or rather, the mighty son of Odin and his cowardly pet." Loki felt a wave of rage, but hid it beneath an icy calm veneer. Another laugh resounded, echoing off the walls. Thor kneaded the leather-bound handle in his hand as he contemplated the best way to kill this unseen foe without being noticed. They didn't get that chance. Guards poured out of unseen corridors and surrounded the princes. Loki willed Thor to not do anything stupid. Surprisingly, he obeyed the silent command. They were taken before the lord of the hall, Skrymr, who apparently was fourth in line for the throne after Laufey.
They were forced to kneel before the giant. Thor wondered how Loki could take being treated so. Loki shook his head slightly, as if to say, 'Let me handle this.' Thor nodded in reply. Loki bowed apologetically.
"I beg your pardon for our trespassing on your territory, Lord Skrymr, but we made a mistake. We meant no harm, and we wish to be released." Skrymr sensed a lie, but he couldn't tell what part was true and which part was false.
"Not right away. We will keep you until you tell us the real reason for your presence here." Thor stood up, his rage finally boiling over.
"I say we make a wager." Loki said before Thor could make this mess any worse. Skrymr nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"The challenge?"
"Some sort of contest. I don't really care what kind."
"The stakes?" Loki turned to Thor, and back to the giant.
"Our freedom. Your people win, you keep us as hostages. We'd prove very valuable in your…ah…negotiations with the All-father. We win, you allow us to go free." Skrymr considered it for a minute. What harm could there be in this bet? He knew he was going to win anyway.
"Very well. I have two challenges, one for each prince. If neither you nor your brother can complete at least one of them, you are mine for the rest of your miserable lives. The trickster goes first." Skrymr turned his blood-red gaze on Loki. "I've heard that you're the fastest to finish at the table." Thor hid a laugh behind a cough. Loki glared at his brother.
"This is only partly true. Volstagg would be the true champion at the table." Loki said, acting very nonchalant about the whole ordeal. He really wished that he'd made a different wager. Skrymr nodded, taking that into account.
"Yes, but he's not the one who decided to invade my realm. You, against my cook. Bring out the plates!" The servants bowed and went to do as they were told. Loki turned to Thor.
"What have I done?"
The contest had gone well. They both had finished eating at the same time, and a rematch was called for. The second go-round ended disastrously. When Loki had pushed his plate back, the cook kept on, eating both the plate and the roughhewn fork. That was the limit of Loki's abilities. As the cook sat back, apparently satisfied, Loki glared at his host. The cook wiped his face, knowing he held the victory.
"Not fair!" he said, his voice dangerously low.
"You agreed to the terms, you pay the price. This isn't looking very good, little prince." Skrymr replied. "Now, Thor. I have something else in mind for you."
"All right? What is the challenge?"
"Drinking. See this goblet here?" Thor nodded. It was rather large, the perfect size for a giant. Skrymr smiled, revealing his jagged teeth. "A real drinker could probably drain it in a single draught, a moderately thirsty man in two. Only a lightweight would take three or more tries to drain it." Thor glared. He didn't like what the giant was implying.
"Challenge accepted." He impulsively grabbed the cup, and took a long gulp. Loki watched with growing admiration as his brother tilted the goblet back, but the amount seemed to not get any less. Thor's eyes widened when he realized he'd been tricked. He set the cup down, and took a deep breath. He lifted it back up, trying to drain the goblet. He was forced to take another breath. He realized he was defeated, but that didn't stop him from trying again. Finally, he set the cup down, the sag in his shoulders showing his shame at such a defeat. Loki's eyebrows knit in frustration. These challenges were normally a breeze. He knew Skrymr was up to something, but he couldn't figure out what. Skrymir looked happy with the results.
"I win. Away with them, guards, and find out everything they know. I would get some use out of them before I kill them." Thor struggled against the onslaught of soldiers.
"You can't do this!" he shouted. Skrymr smiled.
"You're the ones who came to my lovely abode, and you failed my challenges. I have every right to do this." Loki let the guards advance to put the shackles on him. At the last possible second, he spun around, his daggers in hand. The two soldiers fell with slit throats. Thor took the hint and swung Mjolnir, batting them aside easily.
"AFTER THEM!" Skrymr roared. Thor and Loki ran down the hall, and up a flight of stairs.
"I think there's more to his servants than I first realized, Thor. I'm sorry."
"That's all right, brother. You couldn't have known." Loki shrugged off the acceptance.
"The cook, was not a cook. He is fire personified. Fire eats everything. The goblet you drank from was no ordinary goblet. I think it was part of the ocean, maybe. What did the drink taste like?" Thor grimaced.
"Now that you mention it, it was fairly salty..." Loki nodded, and jogged on.
"Just as I thought. No one can drain the ocean. Skrymr cheated." Thor grinned, and they stopped at a divide in the hallway.
"You go that way. I'm going to go up higher, and see what kind of advantage I can gain. You stay on this level, and distract them from me." Thor nodded.
"I'll do that."
Thor ran out into a completely different courtyard than before. He saw Loki sneaking across a catwalk between two of the towers. Thor's attention was brought back when he heard the rough shouting of the guards coming after him. He hefted Mjolnir in his hands, comforted by its familiar weight. He spun it around by the leather loop, letting it become a blur in his hand. He had this under control.
Up on the catwalk, Loki was having issues of his own. Three giants had him trapped on that narrow suspended slab of rock.
"Found you." one of them sneered. Loki lashed out with his magic, the flash blinding two of them. They lost their balance and went over the edge, shattering into a million ice crystals on the stones below. Loki took off in the only direction he could, closely pursued by the remaining giant. He found himself running around a spiral staircase and he ended up in the topmost room, with no way out, except the way he came in. The giant filled up most of the doorway, and there was nothing left to do, but go out onto the balcony.
Thor turned in his attack, just in time to see the giant charge at Loki. The trickster was on the edge of a balcony, his escape blocked. Loki froze when he saw the giant coming at him. The moment of impact seemed to affect Thor too. Later recounting this tale, he would admit that his heart stopped when he saw his brother go over the edge in the grasp of the giant.
"NOOOO!" Thor cried, the horror and reality of it hitting him like an actual blow. He heard the crunch of bones breaking on the pavemet, and it threatened to make him sick. Then his grief was cast aside for the moment. If Loki was dead, he deserved vengeance. He summoned all the lightning he could handle and struck the ground with Mjolnir. The giants fell. Thor stood alone above the chaos, victorious. But this victory meant nothing now. His brother was gone. Gone. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. What good was a victory that no one could share with you? He fell to his knees, taking a moment to mourn.
"Why are you crying, Thor?" a voice asked. Thor stared at the bloodstained ground, trying to regain control of his tears.
"Because I couldn't save you." Something stirred beside him moving his cape slightly. He refused to look up.
"What makes you think I needed saving?" the voice asked, this time closer than before.
"You were my brother. I should have kept you closer, not let you get separated from me…I'm sorry, Loki. I failed you. I shouldn't have forced you to come along with me in the first place."
"Good, I'm glad you realize that." Thor glanced up when he felt someone touch his shoulder. His eyes widened in disbelief
"Loki…you're…here?" The younger god shrugged, a grin creeping across his face.
"Where else would I be? Demons above and below, but aren't you gullible?" He chuckled. Thor was at a loss for words. "You should have seen your fac…" Loki's laughter was cut off when Thor pulled him into his arms and held him. Thor was torn between being angry and relieved.
"Don't ever do that to me again! What would I have told Father and Mother? Or Sigyn and Sleipnir?" Loki decided that it would be wiser to cease his struggling. He grudgingly wrapped his arms around his brother.
"It would take more than a couple Frost Giants to separate us, brother. I hope you know that." Loki said, once Thor had released him. They stood up. Thor picked up Mjolnir and slung it over his shoulder. Together the brothers walked back to the Bifrost site.
